A Wayfarer In Alsace

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139 753

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

A WAYFARER IN
ALSACE

BY

B. S. TOWNROE

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE

RT. HON. THE EARL OF DERBY, K.G.,G.C.V.O.

lATE H.M. AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE

WITH 18 ILLUSTRATIONS AND A M\I*

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
1926

A WAYFARER IN
ALSACE

BY

B. S. TOWNROE

WITH AN INTRODHCTION BY THE

RT. HON. THE EARL OF DERBY, K.G.,G.C.V.O.

LATE H.M. AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE

WITH 18 ILIOSTRATIONS AND A MAD

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
1926

l•kllKTX» ORAAi VltrrAX}*

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION BY THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OP

DERBY, K.G., G.C.V.O., LATE H.M. AMBASSADOR

TO FRANCE

ix

PREFACE . , . ,

.

.

xi

CHAPTER

I. ALSACE YESTERDAY ,

I

II.

A FRONTIER LAND .

13

in.

EN ROUTE

21

IV.

AROUND SAVERNE .

32

V.

STRASBOURG

43

VI,

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG

55

vn.

WISSEMBOURG AND DISTRICT

67

vni.

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE

76

IX.

SJ^LESTAT «...

89

X.

COLMAR * , . .

101

XL

IN THE VOSGES

114

xri.

BY THE RHINE

127

XHf.

MULHOUSE »

^3S

V

VI

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

CHAPTER

XIV.

AROUND

THANN

•

•

PAGE

. 148

XV.

WAYSIDE

CONVERSATIONS

•

•

•

. . 158

XVI.

GOETHE IN ALSACE .

•

•

•

. . 172

XVII.

SERMONS

IN STONES

•

•

*

, 184

XVIII.

ALSACE TO-DAY

•

*

• 194

INDEX

• . • •

.

.

.

. 207

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

MAP OF ALSACE ...... JFront end papet

IN S]£lestat Frontispiece

FACING PAGB

THE BRIDGE OVER THE RHINE AT STRASBOURG . . lO

LE HAUT-BARR 32

BARR 32

ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK IN STRASBOURG CATHEDRAL . 46

LES JfARDINS UNGEMACH AT STRASBOURG . . . . 60

STRASBOURG CATHEDRAL 72

A GARDEN OF M. WEILLER'S HOUSE 90

OLD ARSENAL AX s6LESTAT . 96

A VENETIAN '' SCENE AT COLMAR 102

OLD GATEWAY AX TURCKHEIM 120

KAVSERBEKG X24

THE SORCERER*S TOWER AT THANN I52

THE UNIVERSITY OF STRASBOURG 174

chateau of ST. ULRICH ABOVE RIBEAUVILLE . . . I88

LA MAISOK PFISTER AT COLMAR 19 ^^

AN OLD FOUNTAIN IN COLMAR 19 ^

PLACE KL 1 &BER AX STRASBOURG * 3196

INTRODUCTION

BY THE

RT. HON. THE EARL OF DERBY, K.G., G.C.V.O.

F or those who cannot have the pleasure
of visiting France, books containing first-
hand descriptions and photographs are the
best substitutes ; while for those who are con-
templating a tour, such a book as this will
be of practical value. It explains how Alsace
has played a prominent part in .European
history, and tells something of the beauties of
the towns and country that may be found
there. Many Englishmen travel through
Strasbourg and Colmar on their way to
Switzerland in complete ignorance of the
treasures of history, architecture and land-
scape that they arc missing.

But far more important is the fact that the
writer, who visited the reoccupied parts of
Alsace at the end of the war, and recently
was in this frontier land as the representative

jrii A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

It would be impossible to mention the
hundreds of others who extended us many
courtesies, but I must add a word of thanks
to our own British Consul-General at Stras-
bourg, Sir Oliver Wardrop, who so readily
helped to open the doors of a foreign country
to a stranger.

I must also thank the editors of The Times,
the Daily Telegraph, the English Review, the
Review of Reviews, the Architects* Journal, and
the Field, for permission to reproduce here
extracts from articles that I have contributed
to their columns.

I owe a debt of thanks to M. Weiller,
M. Dachert, and to the Compagnie des
Chemins de Fer d’Alsace et de Lorraine for
permission to use certain of the photographs
published in this book.

For the correction of the manuscript and
proofs I api deeply grateful to my colleague
in Paris, M. G. H. Camerlynck.

B. S. TOWxNROE

Hampstead
February 1926

A WAYFARER IN
ALSACE

CHAPTER I

ALSACE YESTERDAY

" It is best to keep as tranquil as possible in misfortune,
and not to be vexed or resentful : for we cannot see what
good or evil there is in such things, and impatience does not
in any way help us forwards ; also because nothing in human
affairs deserves serious anxiety, and grief stands in the way to
hinder the self-succour that our duty immediately requires
of us." Plato

O NE frosty morning in 1918 I was looking out
of an observation post in the line on the Vosges
held by the Chasseurs Alpins. Below us extended
the plain of Alsace. My companion on the right, a
man of infinite knowledge, pointed out the well-known
landmarks, and chatted quietly about the history of
the land that lay at our feet. Julius Caesar, the
Emperor Probus, Sainte-Odile, Clovis, the King of
the Franks, Charlemagne, Peter the Hermit, Turenne,
Louis XIV, Napoleon, Charles X, the Kaiser, Marshal
Joffre — the chief characters of European history for
the last two thousand years have played their part

2

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

with glory or shame on that stage. Even then I
wished that I could express to my own feUow country-
men something of the romance of the frontier land,
its beauty of river and mountain and the indomitable
spirit of its people.

Later on, under more peaceful and far more pleasant
conditions, came an opportunity, eagerly seized, to
visit Alsace again. Before attempting to describe it
as it is to-day, however, I must refer to some of
the main incidents of a crowded and tempestuous
past.

One cannot “ skip ” Alsatian history, however
pressing is the temptation to hurry on across the
centuries to the present day. The struggle in the
twentieth century for the possession of the right or
left bank of the Rhine dates back from the dim
ages of history, when the Celts drove back, with the
help of Julius Caesar, the Germanic chief Ariovistus
to the other side of the Rhine. When in 1790 the
French Republic was recognized by citizens of Strais-
bourg, who saluted the tricolour under the shadow of
the Cathedral, a link wais formed connecting the
centuries, during which there had been constant
refusal to accept German domination in any form.

Alsace played its part in breaking up the Empire
of Charlemagne, the so-called Holy Roman Empire
that Voltaire said was neither Holy nor an Empire nor
Roman. By the Treaty of Westphalia Alsace again
became united with France, and about that tune a
medal was struck on which were the significant words
" Gaul closed to Germany

When a century later the Duchy of Lorraine fell
into the hands of Louis XV by his marriage with the
daughter of Stanislas Leszeynski, there followed steady,

ALSAClfi YJKSTEKDAY

8

peaceful administration, and one of the French
historians describes the peace and happiness that the
inhabitants enjoyed at that time.

Then came the Revolution, and the " Marseillaise ”
was heard for the first time when it was sung at
Strasbourg by Rouget de ITsle on 26 April, 1792,
in the house of Frederic Dietrich, the first Mayor of
Strasbourg. The young Lieutenant, Rouget de ITsle,
was a friend of the family, and had just written this
war h3Tnn, which might more aptly have been called
" La Strasbourgeoise One of the daughters sat
down at the harpsichord, and then for the first time was
heard from the open windows the melody that for
over a century has been an inspiration to French
patriots :

" Aliens, enfants de la Patrie,

Le jour de gloire est arriv 4 .”

The song inflamed the hearts of the citizens of
Strasbourg and spread rapidly to Paris. Its peculiar
power over men’s emotions has been immeasurable.
“ It has cost us 500,000 men ” was one German
comment.

The site of the house where the song was first sung
can now be gazed at by the faithful. I made a solemn
pilgrimage to the spot, and found on the one side a
modern building of steel-framed construction being
rapidly lifted into place by gigantic cranes, and on the
other side some hideous posters of pictures that were
being shown at the local cinemas.

Although the original house occupied by the Mayor
has been pulled down, the chant of war continues
to reverberate, and one Whit-Monday from early

4 A WAYFAEER IN ALSACE

in the morning until past midnight we heard the
melody being played by various instruments and
sung in varying keys, sometimes clashing discordantly,
in honour of the visit of the President of the French
Republic. The present generation of Alsatians are
exceedingly proud of the fact that their capital city
was the cradle of the “ Marseillaise They also tdl
with pride of the heroic Generals bom in Alsace who
served in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte, and
proved by their achievements how complete and
indissoluble was the fusion of France during the
Napoleonic wars.

There was KMber, the son of the bricklayer, who
joined as a volunteer in 1783. He served in La
Vendee, Belgium, Germany, and then in Egj’pt,
where as Commander-in-Chief he conquered at Helio-
polis an army six times as numerous as his own. His
monument stands to-day in the midst of the principal
square of Strasbourg, and at certain times the
students and citizens walk past in silence, raising
their hats as we do when passing the Cenotaph.

Another famous Alsatian General was Lefebvre, a
miller’s son. He was a recruit at the age of eighteen,
a General at thirty-eight, and a Field-Mamhal at
fifty. He returned to his native village of Rouffach
during his convalescence after a wound, and it is said
that his mother made a point of walking up and down
the streets hanging on to the arm of her famous .son,
and ever afterwards signed her name at the bottom of
letters " Marie, the mother of the Field-Marshal ".

As the wayfarer journeys through this country he
will find many memorials to Napoleon’s Generals.
There was Rapp, the .son of a concierge at Colmar,
and Kellermann, and Stengel, and Key, and Lassalle.

ALSACE YESTERDAY

5

The achievements of these men show how a military
career was always open to ability under Napoleon,
and how Alsatian soldiers took full advantage of the
opporturdties offered.

When the Little Corporal was conquered by the
allies Alsace was overrun, and stories are still told of
the Cossacks from Russia who appeared in quiet
village streets. Eventually in i8i8 the Germans and
Austrians and others who were occupjdng the country
departed, and then commenced j&fty years of freedom
and prosperity. Literature flourished. The two De-
partments during this time sent to the Parliament
■ia.'Pftgis such illustrious citizens as Benjamin Constant
and Lafc.yette. Among writers and artists should be
rememb.^ed the names of Erckmann-Chatrian, Gustave
Dord, ai'id many others naturally known better in
France than in England as men of conspicuous genius.

Later in this book I shall have something to say of
the industrial developments of this era. In the valleys
below the Vosges cotton and flannel nulls entered
upon a time of prosperity. Railways and canals
were built. This is the time when the foimdations
were well and truly laid of the commercial success of
Alsace in the world.

Then came the war of 1870, and little Alsace, that
unfortunate buffer State whose soil is soaked with
the blood of conflicts dating from the shadowy past,
was again the scene of fierce struggles. Within her
borders France suffered her first defeats. Strasbourg
was bombarded and eventually capitulated. Belfort
held out for three hundred days and Bitche for eight
months, but in the end defeated France had, at the
Treaty of Frankfort, to give up Alsace with the excep-
tion of Belfort.

6 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

The Deputies from the two provinces made an
eloquent protest against the annexation, in which may
be found this prophetic phrase : “ Your brothers of
Alsace and of Lorraine, separated at this moment from
the common family, will preserve for France, absent
from their homes, unchanging affection until the day
when she will come to regain her position.” It is a signi-
ficant fact that all the candidates who were elected in
February 1874 to go to the Parliament in Berlin
protested against the annexation. One of the Deputies,
by name Teutsch, cried aloud to his colleagues : "In
the name of the men and women of Alsace-Lorraine,
wc protest against the abuse of force of which our
country is the victim.”

Thousands of Alsatians emigrated at this time.
They thronged the roads, and often for lack of accom-
modation had to sleep out in the public squares of
Belfort or Nancy, surrounded by such scraps of family
furniture as they were able to carry with them. Tragic
stories of those days were told me by old men who left
Alsace at that time, and returned after the .Armistice,
in order that they might pass the last few years of
their lives in their childliood’-s home.

Acro.ss the Rhine at the same time entered hordo.s of
German emigrants and oflicials who s<;ttlcd upon the
country. As administrators they conferred cirtain
benefits upon the new provinces, but they completely
mis.sed their opportunity of winning the sympathy of
the population. First they tried a p»)Ucy of concilia-
tion, but although the central organization of Germany
took many steps in order to encourage the indnstrid
and coinmerci^ development of Alsace, it was found
impassible to ebange Frenchmen into Teutons. In
jHiSy the lift<‘cn Ih'puties who were elected were all

ALSACE YESTERDAY

7

still defiantly opposed to the annexation. They
expressed their opinions publicly, and they received
82,000 more votes than the Deputies who were elected
in 1874, at a time when the wrong done was fresh in
the minds of everyone.

The obstinate resistance of Alsace led to a decision
on the part of Berlin to carry out a policy of repression.
One high German official declared that mercy was a
mistake and moderation a danger. Newspapers were
suppressed. French secret societies were broken up.
A system of passports was introduced which effectually
prevented the inhabitants of the country from seeing
their relations or friends in France. Those who were
suspected of being too friendly with the Government
in Paris were prosecuted. Rapp, the Vicar-General
of Strasbourg, had to choose in twenty-four hours
between expulsion or imprisonment in a fortress.
The brother of M. Appell, who was till recently the
distinguished Rector of the University of Paris, was
imprisoned, and eventually died from his sufferings
and privation. In spite of all, the Alsatians protested.

“ On changerait plutdt le cceur de place
Quo de changer la vicille Alsace.”

In despair the Germans tried another change of
policy in 1911. They announced that Alsace was to
be ” for the Alsatians ”, There was much talk of a
form of Home Rule that was to be granted. And
eventually the Reichstag agreed to a new form of
constitution which theoretically gave Alsace and her
people autonomy. The officials, however, of German
origin still remained in their offices. The secret
police never ceased their work, and it was soon dis-

8

A WAYFAEER IN ALSACE

covered that, however attractive Home Rule seemed
in outward guise, the actual power still remained in
the hands of the Kaiser and his nominees. Any
concessions asked for by the Alsatian Parliament
could be vetoed by the Kaiser, who thus had the last
word. In fact, the central powers seized back again
with the one hand what they gave with the other.

From 1913 onwards the inhabitants of Alsace
were well aware that the war clouds were shortly
to burst. They realized this from the increased
pressure of recruiting for military service and also
from the increase of taxation. The Abb 4 Wetteric
has stated that in September 1913 he warned General
Pau in these prophetic words : “ Mon General, I believe
that war wUl break out either in May or July next
year.” On 3 August, 1914, war was declared by
Germany on France, but on the previous evening
the first casualty occurred when a German lieutenant
belonging to the Dragoons of Mulliouse crossed the
frontier south of Belfort and killed a French soldier,
Peugeot, and immediately afterwards was killed
himself by the man's comrades. Thus, within sight
of the Vosges, those hills on which took place some
of the fiercest fighting of the war, and w'hich to-day
offer the wayfarer some of the most beautiful .scenery
in the world, the first death of the world war occurred.

After that the curtain dropped. Through spies a
little information filtered out over the frontier as to
what was happening in Alsace. As will be dcscrib«i
later in this book, the Alsatian people in many cases
suffered as acutely as the massacred Belgians, but the
world has heard little of their anguish, for war corre-
spondents had little opportunity of seeing for them-
selves the reign of terror that followed the first French

ALSACE YESTERDAY

successes in the Vosges. Many villages were burnt
and their chief residents shot as an example to others
not to show any signs of good feehng towards France.
Houses were pillaged. German soldiers helped them-
selves freely to the good wine of the country stored
away in cellars. In almost every village to-day the
wayfarer can hear how the Bavarians and others tried
in 1914 to live on the country.

After a time, as far as I can gather, the attitude of
the troops became much milder and more friendly
towards the inhabitants. When it became more and
more apparent that Britain and France might be
defeated, and Germany gain the victory, the orders
from Berlin were not to antagonize the Alsatian
people in the hope of their future complete assimilation.
But, curiously enough, the Allies refused to recognize
that they had been beaten, and then, as will be shown
later, organized plundering of factories and mills took
place. Rumours of the turn of the tide on the Western
front at last reached the ears of the Alsatians. One
old man described to me how he was suspicious of all
such stories, until one day he saw a German infantry
battalion walking in disorder up the village street,
with German soldiers kicking certain unpopular
officers behind 1

A most interesting discovery of secret documents
w*^ made after the Armistice in the Archives of the
German Imperial Office of Alsace-Lorraine. These
have now been edited by M. Charles Schmidt, the
Archivist to the French National Record Office, and
reveal the schemes of oppression, confiscation and
deportation that were planned by the German General
Staff and the Berlin Government.

These documents are historical. The Secretary of

10 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

State for Alsace-Lorraine on id October, 1918, when
it was evident that the collapse of the Army was near,
ordered all papers to be destroyed, so that they might
not fall into the hands of the enemy. Certain records
were, however, left behind, either because higher
officials were in too great haste to pack up and fly,
or because subordinates had not the knowledge to
select those records that at all cost should have been
destroyed. "WTiatever the reason, there was found a
memorandum of the decision of a conference that
was held in Bingen on 15 and 16 June, 1917, in which
the rapid and ruthless Germanization of Alsace was
proposed. Then there were also discovered in the
top attic of the German Government offices at Stras-
bourg other documents from the Bavarian Govern-
ment, from the Home Secretary, and even from
Field-Marshal von Hindenburg, as to the fate of ALsace
after the war. Although the war built up a wall
around Alsace from 1914-18, a memorandum of Von .
Hindenburg ^vritten on 27 December, 1917, when he
was Chief of the General Staff with the Army in the
field, must show the world what a fate victorious
Germany was preparing for Alsace.

In his opinion, in the interests of security — the
word sounds familiar in 1925 — Alsace-Lorraine should
be placed under the command of a dictator, and
should be annexed to the kingdom of Prussia, " the
largest and mightiest of the confederate States " of
Germany.

Von Ilindcnburg in this memorandum, which is
addressed to the nine persons whose names were
found tyi>e'writtcn on the copy filed in the office,
considered that, in order to resist “ French machina-
tions ", there should be a military governor who

THE BRIDGE OVER THE RHINE AT

FREJTCH SOLDIERS OX GUARD BELOW' THE

ALSACE YESTERDAY 11

should ensure the compulsory disposal of aU French
property, including landed estates and industrial
concerns, and the total exclusion of French insurance
companies and French capital. He would have German
education in aU schools and especially in churches,
and compulsory military service for students in the
Catholic religious seminaries, whom he suspected of
being too friendly to France. He even proposed
to attack girls’ boarding schools, as it was thought
that they were “ the canker of the country ”, where
the future mothers were taught to love France rather
than Germany. He also wished to appoint Old
German officials in aU the superior posts. In order
that there should be no possible danger of revolt,
the Field-Marshal proposed that all aliens should be
prohibited from shooting and hunting.

In his conclusion he confessed that experiences
both before the war and during the war had made it
only too evident that the inhabitants of Alsace " dd
not feel at ease within the German Empire’s frame.

. . . After promising beginnings, the situation has
become visibly worse. . . . Annexation to Prussia is
in all respects the simplest and best settlement ”.

Hindenburg based this programme on imperative
military grounds, and would evidently have taken steps
as Dictator to destroy entirely the French element in
the population. The replies to his memorandum were
also foua^ at Strasbourg, and they show that there was
general agreement as to the need for sterner measures,
although some of the civilians consulted inclined
towards granting autonomy to Alsace, or dividing
her up and apportioning the remnants between
Bavaria, Prussia and Baden. This suggestion, how-
ever, ne%'er found favour with the High Command of

12

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

the Army, who made every effort to liquidate French
property, and so to prepare for the incorporation with
Prussia.

It is interesting to read these documents that
prove conclusively the aims of Germany. In the
interests of a proper perspective, it is good that we
should thus have available the plans of Field-Marshal
von Hindenburg as outlined by him not ten years ago.
Has he changed at heart now he has been elected
President ?

That is a question that can be answered according
to prejudices, but it is an undisputed fact that many
of the arguments used in these secret documents are
precisely the same as those proclaimed by those enemies
of France to-day who advocate an autonomous Alsace.

It is also evident to any traveller in that country that
France has gone to the very opposite extreme of the
policy advocated by Hindenburg. There is no repres-
sion. The study of the German language is actually
encouraged in the University of Strasbourg and in
the schools in the country. Many native-born Germans
have been allowed to take French nationality because
they married Alsatian women. There are no signs
whatsoever of any form of military dictatorsliip,
and, indeed, the present Military' Governor, General
Berthe] ot, is as genial and open-minded a man as I
have ever met. Complete freedom is iUIowed to the
Press to put forw'ard arguments for or against France,
and I have read articles directed .against .M. Herriot’s
religious policy, which, if they had boon published in
England, w'ould have attracted the attention of the
Director of Public Prosecutions. Alsace to-day is
free, but she narrowly escaped the dictatorship of
Hindenburg.

CHAPTER II

A FRONTIER LAND

'' Soyons vrais, est le secret de I'eloquence et de la vertu,
est Tautorite morale, c’est la plus haute maxime de Tart
ct de la vie.’*

Henri-Fr:]^d:i§ric Amiel

C OMPLAINTS may occasionally be heard from
English and American tourists that they are not
given a warm enough welcome on the Continent. If
this be true of some coimtries, Alsace is certainly a
happy exception, as a personal experience may perhaps
iUxjstrate. When we stepped out of the train at
Strasbourg a smiling porter seized our suit-cases, and in
reply to our painstaking French, inquired in broken
English with a merry twinkle in his eye : —

" 'Ave you any more luggage ? "

" Yes, in the van," we replied, and then compli-
baented him : " You speak English well.”

" Ah, yes,” he replied. “ I was in an English
prison camp in Birmingham for four and a half months
in 1918. It was the ’appiest time of my life.”

^ He seemed to regard the fact that he had been our
compulsory guest as a special recommendation to our
favour, and on the way to the hotel bus discoursed
Cheerily about his friends in England. Probably he

14 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

was one of the hundreds of deserters who succeeded in
crossing the lines.

This unexpected greeting from an ex-conscript of
the German Army is t37pic£d of the welcome that the
English may expect in Alsace to-day. For although
many Alsatians were compelled to serve against us
during the war, they are intensely friendly to tliis
country.

It would appear, moreover, from the stories they
tell that these conscripts must have been a thorough
nuisance to the German General Staff. For the
Alsatian is in certain respects akin to the Irishman.
He is usually “ agin the Government ” ; he is some-
what obstinate, with a vein of rather malicioi^ wit,
and he possesses great independence and initiative.
It is probably owing to these very characteristics
that he has survived centuries of invasions from across
the Rhine, and continues to prosper in a country
that has been a battlefield since the days of Julius
Csesar.

An illustration of an Alsatian’s way in the Kaiser’s
Army was told me by a Strasbourgeois, a Monsieur K.,
who some twelve years ago was an undergraduate at
Oxford. As soon as war was imminent, he retired to
bed suffering from a so-called fever, and escaped the
initial mobilization. As, however, he had shown
himself in his speeches and writings to be strongly
pro-French, it was hardly surpri.sing that before long
he was denounced to the German recruiting authorities,
who decided that he would be less likely to ca^
mischief in Danzig than close to the French frontier.
Accordingly, he was .sent to the Baltic provinces under
the escort of a portly Bavarian sergeant. On arriv'al
in Berlin he entertained the sergeant so liberally that

A FRONTIER LAND

15

he left the good man dead drunk in a cafe, and then
proceeded to enjoy himself for a few days. When
his cash was exhausted, he made his way to Danzig
and submissively reported himself, expecting at least
a month’s imprisonment, which he regarded as far
preferable to a month on the Russian front — ^the fate
usually reserved for Alsatians. But the officer before
whom he appeared happened to be a Pole, with the
result that the former student of St. John’s College,
Oxford, found himself given a billet in the German
Army, in which there was little work of any kind to
do, except to report each morning at a dispensary,
and serve under conditions that enabled him to live
in a private room in a house in the town and continue
his studies.

He lived very happily there until 1917, when a
" combing out ” was commenced of all “ Category A ”
men, just as occurred at that time in England. On
that occasion K. reported himself to a friendly Polish
doctor, who considerately decided that he was again
suffering from high fever, and sent him to hospital,
where he was nursed by the charming lady who is
now his wife. At the end of this time the hue and
cry for men fit for the front line had died down, and
K. continued his courtship in German uniform, but
without doing a stroke of work for the Fatherland.
In fact, he declares that the first time he used a rifle
was when he helped forward the revolution in Germany
at the conclusion of 1918 !

Another example of Alsatian mentality outwitting
the German military authorities was given by a man
now serving in a china store in a small town near
Strasbourg. This good Alsatian was called up and
posted to a regiment at Munich. After some months.

16

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

during which he systematically succeeded in evading
being sent to the front, he obtained leave to return
home en permission. There a friend provided him
with civilian dress, and he walked to a quiet part of
the line dose to Thann, where at night he wriggled
over the line and surrendered himself to the first
Frenchman he met, spending the rest of the war at
Lyons in an administrative capacity. Such desertion
was by no means unique. One regiment composed
entirely of Alsatians was salt in October 1914 into
the line to the north of Metz. On the first night a
patrol entered into communication with a French
patrol, and, on the following night, the whole of the
rank and file of the regiment deserted, together w'ith
all the stores, ammunition, and even the band instru-
ments, and dragging with them a certain number
of captive German officers. After that Alsatian
soldiers in the German Army were carefully sent to
the Russian front, and the survivors declare that they
were shelled from behind by German guns.

Almost every family has stories to tell of the war
period. At a w'ell-to-do house I was told one day
after lunch the following experience of a well-known
Alsatian banker. He was suspected in 1915 of liaving
French sympathies, was arrested, and was tried by
court martial, but he was a man of quick wit and
strong character. The President of the Court said
to him : —

" You speak French ? ”

“ Yes, that is true, but I also .speak Gorman.”

“ It is said ”, continued the Prc-sident, " that you
have a picture of Napoleon in your .study ? ”

” That is true ; so has the Crown Prince."

“ You have French books in your library ? ”

A FRONTIER LAND

17

“ Yes, but I have also German books.”

The President then asked him to sign a paper
declaring that he was a good German citizen. The
banker refused to do so, sajdng : —

“ You compel me to accept German nationality, but
I will not voluntarily sign such a paper.”

They then threatened him, saying : —

" If you will sign, we will set you free ; but if not,
you shall have five years’ imprisonment, and in your
present state of health you will never survive
that.”

The Alsatian banker stni refused, and eventually
the Court sent him to Russia to serve as a private.
In 1917 he was asked to accept a commission, but
answered : —

" No, no, you are not logical. You forced me to
become a private, and I will not agree voluntarily to
be an officer.”

A few months later he was awarded an Iron Cross,
and exclaimed indignantly ; —

” If you give it to me, I will throw it in the
gutter.”

This incident is typical of the spirit of the majority
of the Alsatians. They have been so bullied,
threatened and cajoled that it is hardly surprising,
however regrettable it may be, that under such cir-
cumstances there is a profound distrust of their old
masters, and no one can fail to hear many stories
bearing on the conduct of their former German
masters.

Since the Armistice, after the first flush of relief,
Alsace has passed through a trying period, needing
patience and forbearance. Few who live outside a
frontier land can have any idea how many are the
c

18

A WAYFABER IN ALSACE

administrative difficulties that arise when a whole
country changes its nationality.

One example will show some of the problems. A
certain English lady some twenty years ago married
an Alsatian, who was so devoted to France that he
left his home in 1914 and helped the French and
English throughout the war, tatog good care not to
be of any service to Germany. But as he happened
to have been bom in the Black Forest at a time
when his parents were on holiday from Alsace,
technically he was a German citizen, and therefore
property of his in England was placed in the hands
of the British Government. If he had been bom in
Alsace this would have been immediately restored to
him after the Treaty of Versailles was signed, but
owing to this technical difiiculty he found himself
regarded as an enemy.

After vain efforts in London to recover his property,
he appealed to Berlin, asking if, as he was technically
a German, they not could help him to recover his
capital. The official reply of the German Government
was that he belonged to Alsace ; Alsace was France ;
and they cared nothing whatsoever for those who were
now French citizens.

He therefore turned in despair to Paris, and in time
the official reply arrived asking where he was married.
He replied that he was married in London, The next
official letter asked whether the French Consul wa.s
present at the ceremony. To this he answered that it
was an ordinary English wedding, and that of course the
Consul was not present. A third official letter then gave
him and his wife a severe shock, for it announced that
by French law they were not married at all, and that
as they were living together they were not eligible for

A FRONTIER LAND 19

the rebate on taxation allowed to married couples !
In desperation, flouted by both Berlin and Paris, they
turned to the President of the British Board of Trade,
who after negotiations that were protracted for many
months, in the characteristic manner of an overworked
and supposedly tmderstaffed Department, saw that
justice was done to the unfortunate couple.

The moral of this little story is that if you have
to be born dose to the frontier, take care to be bom
on the right side, or else in after life the consequences
may be extremdy impleasant for all concerned. The
case is certainly of interest, proving how those imfor-
txmate persons suffer who are caught up in the
relentless machinery that grinds out so-called justice
after a Peace Treaty.

These stories may serve too as the prologue to the
tale of a wajffarer’s wanderings that I am about to
tell, for they illustrate the dramatic conflicts that have
been almost miceasing in this frontier land. They
also may help to explain a little the outlook of those
who dwell in a country that has experienced two
great wars in less than fifty years. If in recounting
my impressions I seem to devote too much space to
the war, and to the passions then aroused, let it be
remembered that I try to express what I saw and
heard.

A traveller meets at every turn of the road in
Central Europe traces of old political superstitions
and racial prejudices. These all constitute sources of
irritation that may lead in time to another outbreak
of hostilities, and they must be realized and reckoned
with, for old fears linger, especially in country districts,
and they cannot be dispelled by ignoring their
existence. We may now look forward to the day

so

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

when the ghosts of the past will be finally laid. There
is an increasing hope that Alsace may be spared in
the future from experiencing at intervals of approxi-
mately half a century the agonies of war, and that
this country which stands at the cross-roads of the
Teuton and Gallic civilizations may be an inspiration
of peace.

CHAPTER III

EN ROUTE

Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in
readiness for the conflict : for it is better for us to perish
in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our
altars. As the will of God is in heaven, even so let Him
do /' — From the Salisbury Antiphones

T he traveller to Alsace should certainly try and
travel at least one way from or to Paris on the
comfortable express train provided by the Chemins
de Fer de I’Est. It is one of the most interesting
routes in the world to any student of the war, as
for nearly seven hours the train runs through districts
that still show traces of devastation.

Soon after leaving Paris you come to Ch§,teau
Thierry, where American divisions suffered heavily in
1918, and from where Big Bertha shelled the capital.
After that, the train runs along the banks of the Marne,
and the traveller can look out at a succession of
villages that have been almost entirely reconstructed,
at bridges that are at last being rebuilt, and at churches
that stiU stand half ruined, with shattered spires that
bear witness to the shell fire of the enemy. The route
later passes between Epemay and Ay, both of cham-
pagne fame, into Chalons, where was situated for th«t

22

A WAYFABER IN ALSACE

greater part of the war the Grand Quartier G& 4 ral
of the French Army, and thence to Nancy and Lun^
ville, where some of the worst atrocities of the first
two months of the war were committed.

Every inch of this, part of the route has historical
memories. At Lun^ville on 3 August, 1914, three
bombs were dropped by German aeroplanes during
their fiirst visit. The Bavarians occupied the towm
from 21 August to ii September, and set fire to most
of the houses and factories before they eventually
retired. From here to the Vosges, almost every
village and^hamletj bears traces of the German occu-
pation, and certain towns like Badomnller were in the
line of fire throughout the whole of the duration of
the war.

Eventually Avricourt is reached, the little railway
junction that used to be on the frontier, and at
Nouvel-Avricourt the wayfarer passes on to the
railway system to-day so efficiently administered by
the Chemins de Fer d’ Alsace et de Lorraine. The fields
on both sides of the line are still pock-marked where
shells exploded, and, in spite of the industry of the
peasants, for several miles land remains uncultivated.

As the train ascends the incline leading to the
famous pass of Savemc, the country becomes much
more beautiful. Traces survive of the early offensive,
when French troops of the First and Second Army
under Generals Dubail and de Castelnau were decm\atcd
under a terrible fire that met them from concrete
machine gun posts and heavy artillerj' skilfully dis-
posed by the Germans among the fields and woods,
that now look so peaceful as the traveller speeds
forward from Sarrebourg to Thalsbourg. The English
have heard little of the battles that took place between

EN ROUTE

28

the Moselle and the Vosges during August and
September 1914, but stories are told of the hand-to-
hand fighting in the forests, where the French made
vigorous attempts to break the line across the frontier.
Some of the hills were lost and retaken many times
during the fighting, until the German retreat in the
middle of September and the stabilization of moving
warfare in trenches that stretched from the North Sea
to the Alps.

Since those days much has been accomplished by
the statesmen of Europe, but the outside world has
stiU. little appreciation of the difficulties that have
been met and overcome. It has been an extremely
complicated business to transfer two such important
regions of Europe as Alsace and Lorraine, containing
over two million people, from Germany to France.
Nevertheless, if the wayfarer is to understand the people
whom he meets daily in this country, and to appreciate
the national life that now throbs so vigorously, it is
essential to know something of the difficulties that
have had to be confronted. I am therefore describing
shortly here some of the administrative changes that
have affected Alsace since the Armistice.

In the early days the responsibility for the civfi.
administration was delegated by the President of the
Council to M. Millerand, the High Commissioner of
the Republic, while two higher militaxy commands
were formed, the headquarters of one of which is at
Strasbourg and of the other at Metz.

M. Millerand found that his task was complicated
owing to the fact that there were three strata, at least,
of legislative measures on the Statute Book. There
were over 800 French laws, dating from Henri II's
dcCTees of 1607 to those passed under the Second

24

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Empire in 1870. Secondly, there were the military
laws of the German Reich ; and, thirdly, local legis-
lation. Although it is a characteristic of the French
to aim at uniformity in all things, the pressure of
events has made it necessary for the Alsatian code of
civil procedure to be left in force, and also the greater
part of the existing municipal legislation. M. MiUerand
had to administer this tangle of laws.

One outstanding proof of the success of France in
absorbing the recovered provinces is the fact that,
since 1919, 500 French laws have been introduced
without the least friction. It is, however, necessary
to recognize that mistakes have been made, for even
those Alsatians who are most strongly anti-German
and most devoted to France make no secret of the fact
that there are to-day three main difficulties.

The most delicate of these is undoubtedly the
relations between the Church and the State. While
I shall not enter into the intricacies of the conflict
that arose in 1924 owing to M. Herriot insisting upon
“ secularization,” certain statistics as to the strength
of various denominations, kindly given me by
M. Charlety, the Rector of Strasbourg University, will
show how involved are the issues.

Owing to the fact that there has been no census of
religions since 1910, any attempt to give a comparison
must necessarily be an estimate. The census taken
by the Germans in Alsace and Lorraine in 1910 showed
that the population was 1,874,014, divided as follows : —

Catholics . .
Protestants
Other denominations
Jews

Agnostics . .

1,391,181, or 77*64 per cent.
363,587, or 20*29 cent.
3,783, or 0*21 per cent.
30,183, or I '69 per cent.
3,004, or 0*17 per cent.

EN ROUTE

25

The more recent census taken in 1921 showed that
the population had decreased by 178,858, largely
owing to the departure of Germans, who were mainly
Protestants in religion, while the majority of the
immigrants who took their place are Catholics. The
Catholic Church had been during the years of occupa-
tion the centre of pro-French feeling, and to-day
the Catholics are so much in the majority and so
powerful that the strongest possible resistance to any
attempt at “ secularization ” is certain.

The tangle of legislation described above has also
resulted in an increase in the number of of&cials that
causes resentment. After 1871 the best-paid appoint-
ments in the civil administration, on the bench, and
in the universities, were seized by Germans, who after
the Armistice mostly returned to the Fatherland.
As far as possible they have been replaced by Alsatians,
but a certain number of German officers and others
stUl remain under an article of the Treaty of Versailles,
which allows any German married to an Alsatian
woman to become a French citizen. These men are
called sarcastically “ Wilsonian Frenchmen ” — an
allusion to the fact that the late President Wilson
advocated this article of the Treaty — or else “ French
at Reduced Prices ” — an allusion to the reduction of
the naturalization fees. In addition to these pre-war
functionaries, many others have come from Paris and
elsewhere. In the case of Strasbourg University in
particular, some of the leading professors in France
have made great sacrifices in order to devote them-
selves to making Strasbourg a centre of light and
learning for the world.

It must bo confessed that there are widespread
complaints that there are too many officials in Alsace

26 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

to-day, and there is reason to suspect that some of
these new functionaries have introduced Socialistic
ideas, which are taking root in a country that is
essentially individualistic. So far as the outside
observer can judge, it would certainly appear that
the French Government might well apply their own
particular form of Geddes' axe to the Alsatian
bureaucracy. Why, for example, in a remote village
in the Vosges should there be twelve French gendarmes
employed as compared with five German policemen
before the war ?

There is another aspect of the transition period in
Alsace that is not yet understood by the outside
world. German militarism, although brutally applied,
had ceitain advantages from the point of view of the
shopkeepers. For instance, during the later years of
the German occupation restaurants de luxe flourished
in the cliief centres, where the Prussian was able to
regale himself with good wines and rich food. The
French officer is of quite a different character. He
lives, on the whole, a simple, frugal life. He is also,
in many cases, a student, and has high ideals of thrift.
Thus he is not a lavish patron of the wine shops,
night clubs, and restaurants that catered for the tastes
of the Prussian officer, and those whose trade has
suffered in consequence are inclined to express their
own selfish point of view rather bitterly. From the
women's point of view, too, the transition from
Germany to Franco has had one curious result. The
ladie.s' shops of Alsace, in the old days, did a good
deal of business with the wives of German officers or
Civil .servants, who con.sidercd that at Strasbourg and
Mulhouse they could buy hats or costumes designed
in the latest fashion of the Rue de la Paix, But the

EN ROUTE

27

wives of the French officers and officials who have
come to Alsace to help in the work of administration
have, in many cases, their own dressmakers, and
continue to deal with shops in Paris. Thus, to a
certain extent, the change has hurt an influential class
in ^Isace that formerly made large profits out of the
German occupation.

Business men especially passed through many
harassed hours during this transition period, for the
transfer of an industrial country from one modem
State to another, necessitating innumerable adjust-
ments and changes of regulations, was bound to cause
considerable anxiety to those responsible for industry.
Nevertheless, the experience gained in 1871 helped
those in charge, after 1918, to avoid many of the
mistakes made during the transfer to Germany.

These inevitable difficulties were vastly increased
by the devastation caused by the war, and the
plundering that took place during the retreat. It is
not generally known that large districts in Alsace
suffered severely from the German occupation. In
the part on the frontier where the first battle took
place no less than 181 communes experienced losses
through shell fire, and in at least twenty localities,
including the towns of Cemay and Munster, the pro-
portion of houses completely destroyed or else seriously
damaged varied from 50 to 90 per cent.

During the latter part of 1918 numerous factories,
which owing to the fact that they were far away
from the front line escaped the bombardment, were
systematically set on fire, after their machinery and
raw material and stocks of finished products had
been hurried away into Germany. This looting was
scientifically organized in order that the orders of the

28 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Kaiser' should be carried into effect, that if Alsace
was to be returned to France, at least it should be
“ as naked as his hand Asa result some 171 factories

in the Department of the Haut-Rhin were totally
destroyed, and only in those districts where industry was
not so active were the vandals less violent.

At the beginning of 1917 a policy of plundering
was adopted, canying out what was known as the
Hindenburg programme. Under the pretext that
invasion was imminent, the High Command ordered
that many of the factories of Alsace should be almost
completely evacuated. Accordingly, piece goods, both
flannel and cotton, were carried away to the other
side of the Rhine, and machinery, engines, looms and
rollers were commandeered. Other more subtle
methods were also adopted that aimed at the
destruction of Alsatian industry should the war be
unsuccessful. After the Armistice some of this
machinery was recovered, but not without the greatest
difficulty. It is due to the skill of the management
and the hard work of the artisans that, freed from
German bondage, Alsatian industry has so quickly
recovered.

Fortunately, the Alsatians live in a country of great
natural richness, both above and below the ground.
For centuries the vine, for example, has been one of
the cliief sources of wealth in the Haut-Rhin, and
from the Alsatian grape is made a white wine of
special bouquet and very rich in , alcohol. The
Germans used to warn the Alsatians that, if ever they
became French again, the competition of the wines
of Bordeaux and Burgundy, of Sautcrnc and Chablis
would kill the sale of the Alsatian wine. The facts
show that Alsatian wine is so distinctive in its flavour

EN ROUTE

29

that the sale is actually on the increase. Thus the
expected disaster to the wine industry has been
averted, for Germany has continued to buy Alsatian
wine, and Switzerland too, profiting by the exchange,
has proved to be a steady consumer, while the trade
with Paris is gradually improving.

I am emphasizing these points because they are not
usually dealt with in any study of Alsace. In fact,
most of the recent literature on this subject can, in
the main, be divided into two classes — ^viz., that
written by persons who are German propagandists,
and that which gives too highly coloured a picture of
the successful assimilation of the recovered Province.
The truth lies between these two extremes.

There can be no doubt at all that the majority of
the population are far happier under the present
French administration than they were under the
Germans, who gave endless offence owing to their
rudeness and bad manners. On the other hand, when
one is considering the comparatively few difficulties
that have arisen during the transition period it should
always be remembered that the Msatian is not easy
to ^OVOTl.

A mill manager at Mulhouse told me how much
more difficult he found the work-people there in every
way as compared with those in a mill in the South
of France, where he was formerly works manager.
Those critics of France, therefore, who have been
influenced by the exaggerated reports of religious and
administrative friction ought to bear in mind that
there is none of the subserviency of the Teuton in the
Alsatian character, and that some expressions of
complaint are inevitable. After the dark years of
repression and persecution from 1870 to 1919 a reaction

80

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

is only to be expected when a people is at last given
freedom to speak and to write. It must also not be
overlooked that, although to the world Berlin has
renounced all pretensions to Alsace-Lorraine, German
propaganda is stiU extremely active. In the spring
of 1925 a German newspaper commenced publication
at Saveme, apparently designed to promote dis-
affection among the people and to advance the
favourite theory of the pro-Germans that, because the
Alsatian temperament has its own particular charac-
teristics, therefore the coimtry ought to be given
independence and become autonomous.

After discussing the position freely with every person
I met, professors and porters, editors and engineers,
priests and peasants, I am convinced that in the main
Alsace has settled down with surprising ease, con-
sidering the complications of religion, language, and
legislation, and has become a devoted and integral
part of the French Republic.

It is only necessary to give two significant figures
to show how advantageous the transfer has been to
Alsace. In 1913 the German Government spent out of
the State Budget an amount equal to 13,253,000 francs
on Strasbourg University, on technical institutes, and
on secondary and elementary education. The French
last year expended on education over six times this
amount, or a total of 88,394,000 francs. In 1919 the
total amount of money expended on public health
service.s and national insurance amounted to 997,000
francs, and this had increased in the last year over ten-
fold, to 10,966,000 francs. The greater part of this
increase is due to the fact that the French Govern-
ment have accepted expenses that in 1913 fell upon
the communes.

EN ROUTE

81

The truth is that those who endured the German
oppression and suffered under it recognize to the full
that the French Government is tr3dng to treat the
recovered provinces with the affection of a mother
for her children, and are therefore heart and soul for
France.

CHAPTER IV

AROUND SAVERNE

" The woodland trees that stand together,

They stand to him each one a friend ;

They gently speak in the windy weather;

They guide to valley and ridge’s end.”

Julian H. F. Grenfell

S AVERNE itself is the first town of any size
reached by the traveller who approaches Alsace
by way of Nancy, and is divided into three parts.
There is the high town, and the middle town, and
the little town. This was the reason why the Romans
gave it the name of Tres Tabemce. Those who reach
the town after passing through a succession of tunnels,
and winding through the valley of the Zom by the
canal that joins the Marne to the Rhine, will declare
that here indeed is the garden of Alsace, especially
if they are so fortunate as to arrive in June, when the
roses are in bloom.

On a hill outside stands the ancient feudal fortress
of Haut-Barr, a famous stronghold where during the
religious wars the Bishop of Strasbourg took refuge.
Later in history, during the war of the Austrian
Succession, a party of soldiers came to take the citadel,
which had no garrison whatsoever except a small

JJAKR

AROUND SAVERNE

S 3

boy, the son of a farmer. It is said that standing on
the rock he was able to roll down stones and so compel
the attacking force to retreat.

Set at a vital point on the road that for centuries
has been the main route from Paris to the Rhine by
Strasbourg, Saveme is a place of many memories,
not aU of war, but also of peace. It is interesting
to remember that not far away is the manor house
where Edmond About lived for thirteen years, and
where he entertained men weU known in French
literature — Dumas, Renan, Taine and Sarcey.

To the world the town itself is chiefly remembered
as the place where the gamins insulted Lieutenant
Forstner, and so precipitated the famous Zabem
incident, that led in 1913 to the resignation of the
Alsatian Government. To-day, however, the streets
are as quiet as if they stood in some old English
cathedral town.

Mr. William Bellows, of Gloucester, a good friend
of Alsace, has well described his impressions of this
town that he visited in 1921 in the company of Sir
Edmund Gosse, as guests of the Count and Countess
Jean de Pange, who since the Armistice have done
so much for the reconstruction of the intellectual
life of Alsace. Mr. Bellows, in a monograph written
for private circulation, describes how he asked two
old peasants about the Forstner episode.

“ They merely shrugged their shoulders in a vague
Alsatian kind of way ; as to the ' incident ’ they could
tell us nothing. The spot for them was evidently a
blind one 1 At that moment two ‘ poilus ’ were seen
approaching. Could they teU us, please, where it all
took place ? ‘ Oui, par Ik, Messieurs ; mais, vous
savez, cette affaire s’efface ; on n’y pense plus, vous

34

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

savez.’ It was the ‘ s’ efface ’ which struck us, and
the vague movement of uncertainty in the pointing
of the fingers. So let it be : a page of history which
does not in the end efface itself may cormt itself a
page indeed. Somewhere on this stretch of gravel
the event had taken place, and we could now move
on again with lighter step !

Tout passe, tout lasse, tout casse :

M^e notre incident s’efface ! ”

Possibly because they are surrounded by forests
that have been growing there for centuries the in-
habitants find it natural to regard life as a mere
episode, and accept the changes of governments and
rulers with a shrug. The woodcutters of all races
have their own philosophy of life, and Alsace is par-
ticularly rich in trees, and a phlegmatic and inde-
pendent outlook.

Whether the wayfarer enters Alsace by the pass of
Saveme, or else from Belfort to the south, he will
inevitably see hundreds of thousands of trees, for he
is arriving in a country of forests. These provide
a large part of its wedth, and the annual income
derived from forest estates in the Department of
Bas-Rhin alone is upward of fifty million francs.

In the forests vdd boars are plentiful, and the
Kaiser and his Court came regularly to Alsace each
year in order to enjoy the hunting. To-day house
parties are arranged by the more well-to-do Alsatians,
to which are invited relatives and friends who enjoy
hunting or shooting. For as well as wild boar there
are a number of small fallow deer and also varieties
of birds that are pursued by the French with zest and
solemnity.

AROUND SAVERNE 85

Apart from sport, the woods provide large quanti-
ties of timber. Fir-trees are chiefly foxmd on the
mountains, while magnificent oaks grow on the lower
slopes and in the plain. Those in the northern part
of Alsace between Saverne and Sarrebourg are much
prized by cabinet-makers because of their fine grain.
There are also many beeches and pines, the latter
growing in profusion in the forests around Haguenau.

Huge saw-mills, equipped with up-to-date machinery,
in some cases propelled solely by water power, cut
up the trees and prepare them for the markets. In
spite, however, of the large timber supplies available,
quantities of timber are now being imported from
Russia, Sweden and Norway, and this persistent
competition from abroad is one of the questions about
which those interested m the Alsatian forests feel
strongly.

As soon as the traveller leaves the beaten tracks
described in the guide books, especially among the
forests, he finds himself in districts of which little is
known to the outside world, and where superstitions
still linger. There are many curious stories to be
found in the mountainous districts, which have suffered
comparatively little from the wars that for centuries
have ravaged the plains. The hills preserve their monu-
ments and the inhabitants their old traditions.

Especially rormd Niederbronn there will be found
ancient stones with grotesque shapes and mysterious
naunes of which the natives tell queer legends, that
have been handed down from one generation to another.
The Society of Historical Monuments of Alsace has
investigated many of these cromlechs, and details of
their discoveries can be found in the ofiicial records.

Half-way up one hill there is the Grotto of the

86 A WAYFARER IN AI^ACE

Sorcerer. This received its name because local stories
record that a village woman, who had been chased
out of the valley because she had a forked tongue,
took refuge there and had relations with evil spirits.
Local tradition also relates that in time on the moun-
tain she became a priestess of the Sun God, but perished
one day when she called upon the Devil too familiarly.

Not far away from the same spot may be heard
before daybreak weird groans and screams that appar-
ently come from a cave situated under a rock. This
is regarded by the hill-folks as being the voice of some
poor soul who is condemned to spend his purgatory
in the depths of the mountains, while the water
trickling out of a spring near by is supposed to be
the tears of the sufferer. No doubt a more natural
explanation might be discovered by a scientist who
investigated the cave.

Another story is told of a fountain near Nieder-
broim. This is the most ancient bathing station in
Europe, where the Romans took the waters for in-
digestion, rheumatism, gout and obesity. In an old
book published in 1593 at Strasbourg, it is said that
parents longing for children may find sons and
daughters, stiU bearing the form of angels, by seeking
in this fountain. There can be little doubt that such
a legend as this owes its origin to the fact that the
waters contain minerals that are distinctly good for
health. In this particular instance delicate wives may
have benefited by taking the w^aters, and in time
become mothers.

In another forest not far away there arc the remains
of an old Roman bath, where it is said that in the
springtime may be seen an old woman with white
hair who comes down from the mountain as soon as

AROUND SAVERNE

87

the sun rises, accompanied by her attendants, in
order to bathe in a stream of mountain water.
Peasants fear to meet this phantom of a woman with
haggard face, dressed in black, who carries a wiading
sheet in her hand, which she carries to the washing
place in the valley, for those who see her die within
the year !

At the time of the flowering of the vine, those who
wish may go to a rock called the Pickelstein. If they
are fortunate, so runs the legend, they may hear at
midnight an old Alsatian folk-song sung by a young
girl, who sits on a white doud, as she brushes her long
hair.

At the top of another MU there is a spot stiU known
as the " Wizard’s Square ”, where there are a number
of curiously shaped stones arranged in a cirde. Local
tradition relates that twice a year an old man with
a wMte beard presides over a court of bliad men,
who pass justice upon a prisoner tied to a tree close
by. If the old man pronounces the accused to be
guilty, he is taken away and executed over the rock
that serves as a sacrificial altar. This particular spot
has from time immemorial been reported to be the
rendezvous of the sorcerers, and it is a strange fact
that recent excavations have brought to light stones
cut in representation of the Sun God, as well as pre-
historic weapons of stone and bronze.

It is probable that in the centuries before Julius
Caesar fought with Ariovistus on these Mils there were
human sacrifices, and that the folk-lore of to-day
echoes back to the realities of a grim past.

On one hill overlooking the valley of the Bitche
may still be seen stones from the position of wMch
it is possible to reconstruct these ancient sacrifidal

38

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

ceremonies. At the foot of a rock hidden among the
trees there is a stone curiously carved, said to be an
altar of the Sun God, while to the north-west is the
altar of the High Priest. On the other side of the valley
remains of an old Celtic camp can still be traced. One
rock is so placed that it is exposed to the sun throughout
the whole of the day, from sunrise to evening, while
on another rock there are the marks of a cross, and
other signs that suggest two imprints of a wooden
shoe. It is possible that the priests in some bygone
age carved these to represent the marks of the foot-
prints of Apollo as he passed over the mountain, and
that the cross was carved later by a Christian priest
in order to exorcise the demons that were supposed
to have haunted the district.

The origin of many of these stories is obscure, but
they are still handed down from father to son in peasant
houses. They are not told in the guide books, but
any wayfarer who is interested can obtain further
details in a little book entitled Mdgalithes ct Folklore
de la Region de Niederhronn, by Charles Matthis.

A happy memory of this part of Alsace is a luncheon
party at a little village at the foot of the Vosgc.s,
within forty minutes' motor run from Strasbourg. It
is one of the tjTpical Alsatian hamlets, full of picturesque
specimens of rustic architecture, with an air of peace
and comfort, smiling a welcome to the wa}'farer. Some
of the older women who had just come back from
market were wearing the Alsatian headdress with
large bows of black ribbon, while two old farmers,
wearing red waistcoats and short coats, watched us as
we motored by.

As we approached the town, on the other side of
the valley we could see our destination, a country

AROUND SAVERNE

89

house with orange-coloured sunblinds, very distinctive,
and with a peculiarly English atmosphere. Our host,
a soldierly figure with white -moustache, was on the
doorstep to welcome his guests. He commanded a
French army corps during the war, and has now re-
turned to the land of his birth to serve France as
devotedly in civil life as in the army. He was in the
Cuirassiers, and a fine collection of his helmets and
steel breast-plates hangs in the spacious hall, out of
which opens the grand staircase. Except for these,
we might have been standing in a manor house
in the south of England, and I looked involuntarily
for the Morning Post and the Field in the smoking-
room.

Our hostess, an Anglo-Saxon by birth, may have
been partly responsible for this impression, for her
choice of cretonnes, curtains, chair-covers, and all the
decorations that give a house personality, was English,
and her S3unpathies too, and those of the General, were
strongly for the Entente Cordiale.

Luncheon, a most dainty repast, was served under
the trees. Overhead the aeroplanes that daily travel
between Strasbourg and Paris were flying, while the
General expressed with some pungency his opinions
on the state of Europe to-day, and especially on the
continuous decline of the franc. As there is no subject
apparently on which it is more easy to hurt the sus-
ceptibilities of our French friends, many of whom seem
to imagine that in some mysterious way we are largely
responsible for their financial tragedy, we kept discreet
silence. Lunch consisted of trout from one of the
mountain streams, chicken en casserole, and strawberries
and cream. Alsatian wine and the extremely potent
native liqueurs, Quetsch and Framboise, were served,

40 A WAYFARER m ALSACE

and over the cigars we heard something of the history
of the neighbouring village.

In the Middle Ages there lived in the district a
chieftain of the name of Richard, who believed that
his wife was much too friendly with the local Bishop.
He decided, therefore, to put her away, but she de-
manded, as was her right in the days before divorce
courts were in being, a trial by fire. Whether the
lady was guilty of the charge or not was never proved,
but she must have had some knowledge of elementary
chemistry, for she covered her chemise with glycerine,
and walked through the fire without any serious
injury. She was immediately acquitted, but her
husband’s suspicions even then were not allayed, and
he sent her away from his home. She apparently
wandered about the hills until she noticed a bear with
her cubs, scratching a hole in the ground. The story
at this point completely disappears into the mists
of legend, but in some unrelated manner she obtained
sufficient wealth to build a church on this spot. The
memory of the animal was preserved for centuries by
a live bear being kept in a pit underneath the church.
Unfortunately, one day the bear escaped and devoured
two of the village children, so after that a stone bear
was erected, which can stiU be seen.

The cave where the original bear is reputed to have
lived is now believed to possess miraculous powers of
healing. One cultured man, whose historical works
on this part of Europe are regarded as authoritative,
seriously advised a member of our party to stand in
the cave as a cure for rheumatism. Thus old super-
stitions linger, and are linked up with stories tliat cany
with them something of the romance and the barbarism
of the early years in Alsace.

AROUND SAVERNE

41

Alsace is a country often desaibed, according to
the prejudices of the writer, as predominantly French
or German. One observer has tried to effect a com-
promise by saying that the people are " Germanic in
origin, but enthusiastically French in mentality
The more scholarly declare that Alsace is a Celtic
country, which ever since it came under the sway
of ancient Rome has been drawn towards the culture
of Gaul.

There are also many traces of Scotland to be found
to-day. The Abbey at Munster in the Val St. Gr^goire,
for example, was founded by imssionary monks from
Scotland. One of these was St. Colomban, who was
bom in Leinster, Ireland, in a.d. 543, twenty-two
years after the better known missionary St. Colomba.
At the age of thirty he visited Scotland, and from
there he passed to Alsace, where he founded monas-
teries at Le Tholy in the Vosges, Verdun, Metz, and
at Remiremont.

In the sixteenth century there was an even closer
connection between Mary, Queen of Scots and Lorraine,
for Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine, was the uncle of
the Queen. His sister, Marie, was the Queen of
James V of Scotland, and it will be remembered
how she attempted to check the growth of Protes-
tantism in the hope that Scotland would remain
Catholic.

Another Imk with this part of France is her de-
scendant, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, who took
refuge for a time at Nancy after he was hunted out
of Great Britain. Nancy is the principal city throt^h
which the traveller passes on his way from Paris to
Strasbourg.

There are many other memories still to be found

42

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

around Saveme. One local historian possesses records
of members of the Hamilton family who fought in
this district over a century ago. Still more un-
expected was the evidence given by a small local
practitioner, who spoke to me one evening after dinner
in terms of personal friendship regarding several
officers well known in the Highlands. I asked him
whether he had met them during the war.

" Yes, certainly, in 1914 and 1915/' he replied.
''You were, I suppose, one of the French officers
attached to the British Army ? I asked.

" No,"' he answered with a smile. " I served with
the German Army throughout the war.'*

I must have looked puzzled, for he explained : —

" I was mobilized for service in August 1914, and
couldn't dodge it. However, they sent me to act as
a surgeon in a hospital at Cambrai, where I had to
treat a number of wounded Scottish officers who were
made prisoners during the retreat from Mons. After-
wards, I am glad to say, I was able to help some of
them to escape, and became in time one of the avenues
in the Underground Road to England used by your
prisoners. Thus I founded several good friendships
with your gallant Scotsmen,"

CHAPTER V
STRASBOURG

" Ah ! Then, if mine had been the Painter's hand,

To express what then I saw ; and add the gleam.

The light that never was, on sea or land.

The consecration, and the Poet’s dream. ..."

Wordsworth

W HILE stasdng in Strasbourg I met one of her
most prominent citizens, who, as soon as he
heard I came from England, said : —

“ I do wish you would try and make your country-
men in England realize a little bit more that Alsace
is in France. You would be surprised if you knew
how many letters still come from England and America
addressed ' Alsace, Germany Even six years after
the war I have known an ofi&cial letter sent from oijie
of your Government Departments in Whitehall to
be addressed ‘ Strasbourg, Alsace, Germany It is
surprising to me how exceedingly slow' the average
person is to appreciate the changes of the map of
Europe, and every day in this office postal delays are
caused owing to the fact that the English have not
yet realized that Alsace is French.”

Whatever om shortcomings and ignorance this side
of the Channel, I found in Strasbourg a deep interest

4S

44 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

in England and knowledge of English problems. The
English Club at the University, organized by M. Koszul, is
a centre of pro-English feeling, where lectures in English
are regularly given, and are followed by discussions.

But I should advise any stray Englishman who is
invited to attend this Club to avoid being caught by
a taxi-driver as I was when driving to the place of
meeting. I entered a taxi at the central railway
station and gave the driver the address in Anglicized
French. I noticed that he immediately put the flag
on the taximeter up, instead of down ; but it was a
fine evening, and although he was taking me a some-
what lengthy journey through the older parts of the
city, I made no remonstrance, only suggesting to lum
when we arrived at an ugly boulevard that I should
now like to go straight to my destination.

When we arrived he blandly demanded five francs.
When I looked at the taximeter simply as a measure of
precaution, I found it stood at zero, and was marked
" libre ”. The driver had purposely not put it in
action in order that he could charge me whatever he
felt inclined. Accordingly I gave him three francs,
and told him with a grin that he was lucky to get so
much after pla3dng such a trick on a stranger. To
my amazement he raised his hat and thanked me
very much indeed. As a franc at that time was worth
about 2jd., a drive round Strasbourg was not expen-
sive at 6fd. ! This incident is trivial, but at any rate
it proves that Strasbourg is not ruinously expensive
for transport, and that its taxi-drivers have a sense of
humour.

The city is so small, and is so well served with trams,
that taxis, even at 6|d., are unnecessary luxuries, and
afoot it is easier to see and enjoy the combination of

STRASBOURG 45

the ancient and modern, and of the unexpected in
architecture and in the psychology of her people. In
Roman times it was known as Argentoratum, and
through the ages has been praised by the poets as a
town that is marvellously beautiful. There will be
found in " La Petite France ”, a quarter by the canals,
narrow streets and overhanging houses from which it
is possible to lean out of the window and shake hands
with your neighbour on the other side of the road,
and mediaeval alleys, down which you expect to see
the Three Musketeers marching. But unlike some
of the old towns of France, the sanitary conditions
are thoroughly up to date, so that the visitor can
satisfy his aesthetic joy in the old without offending
his modem olfactory sense.

The more modem quarters of the town are laid out
with broad boulevards and spacious squares. In a
park called the “ Orangerie ” there is an exquisite
Alsatian peasant’s house set in charming surround-
ings, while overlooking all stands the Cathedral, one
of the maisterpieces of Gothic airchitecture, with its
spire pierced by narrow windows and reaching up
to the sky with a lace-like delicacy that proves the
skin of the ancient builders who were able to trans-
form stone into filigree. Those who dimb up the
625 steps and reach the summit of the tower on which
the spire rests will be able to observe how the Cathedral
suffered from the bombardment of 1870, when the
German artillery used it as a registration mark.
According to Dr. Appell, the former Rector of the
University of Paris, who was a boy in Strasbourg
during the siege, the Germans concentrated their fire
on the Cathedril on the very evening following the
day when the Bidiop had appealed to their General

46

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

to have mercy on the women and children. He
describes how he saw the building in flames, but the
spire providentially failed to catch alight. Much of
the exterior in consequence had to be restored, but
even so it remains as one of the chief specimens of
ecclesiastical architecture in the world.

It is well for those who are liable to giddiness not
to make the ascent of the tower, for the height is
great, and at certain points the way is decidedly
dangerous. From the platform at the top there is
a marvellous panorama of Wissembourg to the north ;
of the Rhine and the Black Forest to the east ; the
Vosges from Haut-Barr to Ste. Odfle to the south ; and
the pass of Saverne to the west. Moreover, the stone-
work itself is weU worthy of study, and Victor Hugo
describes the delicacy of the work of the ancient
craftsmen as seen from near at hand. “ C’est une
chose admirable de circuler dans cette monstrueuse
masse de pierre, toute p^netr^e d’air et de lumi^re,
evid^e comme Tm bijou de Dieppe, lanterne aussi bien
que pyramide, qui vibre et qui palpite A tous les
souffles du vent.”

After so much exterior beauty, the interior of the
Cathedral is unfortunately disappointing, the main
feature of interest being the renowned astronomical
clock that was made in 1842 in order to replace the old
clock originally made by Isaac Habrect. Miniature
mechanical figures strut out of the face of the clock
and strike the quarters of the hour, while an ancient
cock crows at intervals, and other moving discs indi-
cate not oixly the day of the month, the months of the
year, the eclipses of the sun and moon, but the course
of the planets and the variation of the feasts.

In the city itself there are numerous buildings to

STRASBOURG-

47

delight the sightseer, and the new is worthy of the old.
For Strasbourg is very prosperous, and being at the
junction of aU the chief European railway Hues, it
offers most favourable conditions for unlimited eco-
nomic development. Side by side with buildings
" redolent of the Middle Ages ” are modem tanneries,
printing works, tobacco factories and breweries. It
has a Press that for steadiness of outlook and absence
of sensationalism bears favourable comparison with
many of the newspapers in both Paris and London.
The editors, although naturally of varying political
views, and in some cases with markedly bitter memories
of personal indignities inflicted under the German rule,
are men of wide culture and judgment, and are unani-
mously loyal to France.

On one of my visits I was lucky enough to be in
Strasbourg during a National G3minastic F 6 te, at
which over 12,000 gymnasts, coming not only from
France, but also from Great Britain, Belgium,
Czecho-Slovakia, Poland, Italy, China and other
countries were present. German athletes were not
allowed to compete. There was indeed a half-hearted
attempt a few weeks later to organize at Colmar a
rival g5manastic competition to which Germans were
invited, but this led to intense conflicts, and the police
had to interfere. At Strasbourg, although the utmost
liberty was given to the populace, there was nothing
but enthusiasm for the Republic. Every window I
saw was decorated with a tricolour flag of some de-
scription. The President, M. Doumergue, whose un-
tiring smile is famous throughout France, made a
qpedal visit, and was welcomed on his arrival, and
indeed throughout the whole of his stay, by cheering
crowds who packed the streets.

48 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

The critical might declare that the proceedings
during the Presidential visit were perhaps too mili-
tarist for a gjmmastic demonstration, but they certainly
suited the popular taste, the crowd manifesting rap-
turously their devotion to the one-armed soldier.
General Gouraud, and their pride in the Chasseurs
Alpins, who fought so heroically on the Vosges. There
was a review of local troops and Alsatian men, women
and children before the President in the Place de la
R^publique. On the Presidential Tribune were M,
Painlev6, the Minister of Education, and other members
of the French Gkjvemment, as weU as all the chief
personages of the Department, Senators, Deputies,
University representatives and industrial magnates.
Conspicuous among these was the British Consul-
General, Sir Oliver Wardrop, who, owing to his cour-
tesy and ability, is one of the most influential men in
Alsace to-day. He was formerly our Consul-General
at Moscow, and now in his English home in the Rue
Erckmann-Chatrian Lady Wardrop and he represent
this country in a way of which any Englishman might
well be proud. Their popularity with those present
on the Presidential Tribune was very evident.

At the commencement of the march past there was
manifested the touch of genius in which the French
excel, when arranging public demonstrations; for,
s 3 mchronizing writh a flight of aeroplanes overhead,
eight in Hne followed by another fourteen in battle
formation, several hundred pigeons were rdeased
from baskets that had been skilfully concealed in the
Square, and at that moment the bands crashed out the
“ Marseillaise ”, while the President saluted the Frendb
flag. The blinded and wounded victims of the war
he^ed the procession, and then came the fire brigade.

STRASBOURG

49

whose axes and comic-opera uniform gave a somewhat
humorous touch to the proceedings.

The crowd’s enthusiasm was first shown when the
Chasseurs Alpins marched past with a very quick
step to a lively tune, looking extremely workmanlike
and ready for immediate hostilities. It was therefore
aU the more surprising to learn afterwards from
General Berthelot, who commands the troops in
Alsace, that many of the men who looked so trim
and fit were, in fact, only recruits with fifteen days'
training.

It is interesting to compare the reception given to
Marie Antoinette in 1770 with that given to the
French President in 1925. According to a contem-
porary account, eighteen shepherds and shepherdesses
presented her on arrival with bouquets of flowers,
and as she passed, twenty-four girls belonging to
the most distinguished families in Strasbourg threw
flowers in her path. In the evening there were fire-
works illustrating m5d:hological stories, and an ox was
roasted whole in the market-place. The Cathedral,
from the top of the spire to the foundations, was
illuminated, just as it was for the gymnasts in 1925.

Marie Antoinette is described by an observer who
met her at the time as being tail and well made, but
rather thin, with a high forehead and lively blue eyes.
Her tiny mouth was already somewhat disdainful, as
she had the Austrian lips rather more pronounced
than any of the other members of her illustrious
House.

In view of present-day controversies, we may note
that the chief magistrate of the city in 1770 thought
that he ought to make a speech to Marie Antoinette
in German, but she stopped him, and said laughingly,
s

50

A WAYTAEER IN ALSACE

“ Please do not speak German to me. From to-day
onwards I do not wish to hear any other language but
French.”

Language has been a perpetual bone of contention
in this frontier land, and during various visits to the
University I heard much about this problem.

The intellectual centre of Alsace is certainly the
University of Strasbourg. This stands a few minutes’
walk from the centre of the city, and is accommodated
in a number of buildings not specially remarkable
for architectural beauty. Whatever may be the short-
comings of the exterior, within I was much impressed
by the enthusiasm of the professors, several of whom
I was privileged to meet, and who in certain cases
gave up high positions at the Sorbonne, where they
had all the advantages of Paris, in order that they
might devote themselves to re-establishing Strasbourg
University once again under France.

This place of learning owes its origin to the celebrated
Humanist, Jean Sturm, who came from Paris in the
year 1538 in order to create a school where ancient
languages might be studied. This developed into a
University with Faculties of Philosophy, Protestant
Theology, Law and Medicine, and the power to confer
degrees in each, an organization that lasted until the
French Revolution, and during the eighteenth century
gave many distinguished scholars to the world.

After the Revolution the ” Protestant Academy ”,
created by the law of 1803, was given a national
status. In 1808 Napoleon I gave his statute to the
University of France, of which Strasbourg became one
of the principal centres, and added a Faculty of Science
and a Faculty of Letters.

Following the war of 1870-71, when Alsace was

STRASBOURG

61

wrested from France in spite of the solemn protests
of her Deputies, the Germans summoned there some of
their most illustrious professors and masters of learn-
ing. Little by little, however, especially under the
influence of the late Kaiser, it was used as an instru-
ment for the Germanization of the conquered province,
rather than to serve the real aims of learning.

France is not making the same mistake. Some of
her enemies suggested that she would suppress the
teaching of the German language, but to their surprise
she has encouraged the development of the study of
German literature and philosophy, recognizing that
Strasbourg is situated in a most favourable position
geographically for the study of both the Latin and
Teutonic cultures. M. CharMty, the Director of the
University, has well expressed his aim in the following
words : “ L’^tudiant stranger qui fr^quente les cours
de rUniversit6 de Strasbourg se trouve, pour ainsi
dire, i cheval sur deux civilisations. Strasbourg est
le meilleur observatoire qui se puisse imaginer pour
quiconque s'int6resse la vie inteUectuelle fran9aise
et veut, par la m@me occasion, avoir vue sur I’AUe-
magne.’’

With such ideals the University has now become a
centre of higher learning, with her scientific research
untrammelled, and with her studies uixiofluenced by
political motives. Since the Armistice, as the build-
ings that were erected by the Germans were too small
to accommodate the increasing number of students,
some of the Institutes have been transferred to the
Palace of the Rhine that was previously the Imperial
Palace. The growth of the University is evidenced
also by the fact that in 1870 there were only five
masters in the Faculty of Letters, and that there are

52 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

\

now forty. The number of students has increased
from 320 in the year 1919 to 670 in the year 1924,
without including 250 holiday students.

Instead of boycotting the German language, as the
Prussians attempted to do with French, every en-
couragement is given to its study. This alone provides
a significant contrast between the policies of the two
countries. It is interesting on this point to recall an
episode that occurred during the visit of Mr. Lloyd
George to Alsace in 1908, when he was studying the
system of National Insurance. He was received most
hospitably by the German officials, and every possible
effort by direct and indirect means was made to
convince him that the country was entirely devoted
to Germany. Unfortunately for their propagandist
efforts, Mr. Lloyd George, while motoring in the
country districts, stopped a peasant on the road and
asked him the way. The man replied in German,
“ You are not Germans, are you. Messieurs ? ” “ No,
we are English ”, answered Dr. Harold Spender, who
was one of the party. “ Oh, I am so glad ”, said the
peasant, " because now I can speak French to you,
and it is such a joy to meet anyone with whom I can
speak my native tongue I ”

Several haphazard meetings of this kind rather
gave the game away, and showed Mr. Lloyd George
how hollow were the claims made by Germany.

The University of Strasbourg is directed by men
to-day who are far above making such false state-
ments as their predecessors. They honestly recognize
the good as well as the bad points in Germany, and
encourage the study of the Germam language. The
centre for Germanic studies is at Mayence. There
the High Commissioner for Alsace has agreed to

STRASBOUBG

58

certificates and diplomas being given to students.
He has nominated eleven of his own officials to go
through the course, and in addition twelve officers, the
majority of whom belong to the General Staff, have
been detailed for the course by the French War Office,
and three specially detached by the General Com-
manding the Army of the Rhine.

Walking down the steps of the University with M.
Koszul, who is Professor of English there, I had the
good luck to meet M. Paul Sabatier, the distinguished
French theologian, who is certainly one of England’s
best friends in Alsace. He was wearing a dark felt
hat and a doak, and his white beard and dignified
bearing would have attracted attention in any assembly.
We discussed for a few moments the paradoxes of
Alsace and the mixture of races to be found there
One of the party spoke of the influence of the Catholic
Church, and said that even in the reign of Louis XIV
German was taught, as it was the language used in
the churches, for after all " the language one prays
in naturally persists

Then it was remarked how the war has confused
languages stiU further. The case was quoted of our
chauffeur’s little son. The father had lived aU his
life up to 1919 near Paris, but after the war took a
position in a house some thirty miles from Strasbourg.
His only boy, now aged five years, speaks fluently
French, German, Alsatian, and even a few words of
English, and interprets for his father, who knows
nothing but French !

But travdlers wifi, find to their surprise English
spoken even in the remote villages by the younger
generation, although in many cases the older people
over the age of fifty cannot speak either French or

54 A WAYFABER IN ALSACE

German, but only the Alsatian patois. To-day, how-
ever, both languages are taught in the schools, although
the preponderance is naturally given to French. But
there is no dictatorship.

The man responsible for these University develop-
ments, and also for education throughout Alsace-
Lorraine, is M. CharMty, Rector of the University, a
naan who reminds one of a French scholar as depicted
in sbcteenth-century pictures, with a beard slightly
pointed, eyes that are small, keen and kindly, and
with the high forehead of a man of letters. Under
his auspices a distinguished staff of professors are
working so that the wounds of war may be healed
in the classrooms and laboratories in which students
from all parts of the world seek for learning. His
philosophy he thus e3q)ressed in a speech made recently
at Strasbourg

“ Placed at the cross roads of Western Europe, we
shall be the inn where pilgrims of learning will be
able to study living and dead civilizations, consecrate
themselves to scientific research, find the means that
it demands, and there meet the workers that it requires.
We have a soul that France and French friendship have
made for us. It will never perish. We carry a light,
and we will never let it out. The wise who will
preach peaceful indifference to us we will not listen
to. It is not tcsmorrow, it is to-day that the new
life begins. In this house, the house of Pasteur and
Fustel de Coulanges, only truth will be served.”

CHAPTER VI

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG

" Within this hour it will be dinner-time :

Till that, I’ll view the manners of the town,

Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings,

And then return, and sleep within mine inn.”

Comedy of Errors, I. ii. 12

I N the old days there were many more storks in
Alsace than in modem times. In a book published
in the eighteenth century there is a description of a
battle above a stork’s nest built on the spire of the
Cathedral at Strasbourg. The mother bird was seen
with wings outstretched flying back to the nest, pursued
by some bird of prey, probably a vulture from the
mountains. As soon as she reached the Cathedral she
collapsed from weariness, and the male took her place
and advanced to meet the enemy. He fought with
incredible strength on behalf of the young ones in the
nest, attacking the vulture, while the mother covered
them with her wings. When she saw that her com-
panion was being defeated in the straggle in the air, the
eighteenth-century chronicler relates that she seized the
nest in her long beak, shook it furiously, and overturned
it, throwing out the young birds so that they might
escape from the vulture. Then she lay on the place

56

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

on which the nest had been built, and was killed by
the vulture with one blow of his beak.

But modem ideas regarding marshes and the re-
clamation of waste land have had one unfortunate
effect in that they have diminished the number of
storks. In the old days almost every village was
proud of its stork’s nest, and the cigogne in miniature
is one of the principal toys still sold in the shops. The
sad truth is that to-day, owing to the draining of
the marshes, storks are comparatively rare, for as the
stagnant water has diminished so the supply of frogs
on which the storks partly lived has decreased.

Accordingly I saw not one stork's nest in Strasbourg,
and the first one viewed at close quarters was at S^lestat,
a most picturesque town with plenty of water accessible,
fun of croaking frogs. In this case the mother and
father storks were fully occupied from early morning
till after sunset suppl 5 dng the needs of their four
children. He was husband No. 2, the survivor of a
furious duel that took place the previous year with
his predecessor. Victorious in the contest, he now
reigns supreme over his family, who live happily on
a nest constructed upon a cartwheel, and will remain
in my memory as the first Alsatian stork seen several
days after crossing the frontier. Nearer the Rhine in
remote rural hamlets there is usually one nest, but only
one, as the daily frog becomes more and more difficult
to find.

Modem civilization is advancing so rapidly in
Alsace that the storks, emblems of the past, cannot
eke out an existence at aU in the industrial centres,
where they have been replaced by the aeroplanes.
Above Strasbourg these are continuously humming
in the air. There is a daily aeroplane service betwe«a

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG

57

the capital of Alsace and Paris, and apart from com-
mercial aviation, military aeroplanes from a neigh-
bouring aerodrome are constantly passing over.

Strasbourg, in spite of its many beauties, is in fact
far more a commercial city than a tourist centre. It
will surprise many to learn that the Port of Strasbourg,
although it is situated hundreds of miles from the
coast, actually ranks as sixth in order of size of French
ports, and is only exceeded in the amount of trafi&c by
Marseilles, Rouen, Havre, Bordeaux, and Dunkirk.

Before the war the annual trafi&c was steadily
increasing until it reached a total of 1,899,000 tons
in 1913. In spite of many dif&culties, after the Armis-
tice the traffic had increased during 1924 to upwards
of 3,000,000 tons, and the dock accommodation has
been greatly improved. Barges arrive there from all
parts of Europe, following the canal route, and down
on the docks the wayfarer can meet Belgians from
Antwerp, men from Bordeaux, and bargemen from
distant parts of Eastern Europe. It is claimed that
a very considerable reduction of expense can be achieved
by sending goods by water rather than by rail, and
those who believe that it would pay England to
devdop her obsolete canals on the lines advocated
by Mr. Neville Chamberlain can learn much at
Strasbourg.

The reconstruction of the port was delayed owing
to a strike of German bargees, said to have been
organized from Berlin, but now labour difficulties are
being overcome. Under the control of a French
director appointed in accordance vdth the Treaty of
Versailles, the port is extending, so that it is hoped
in time it will be able to cope with a traffic of 6,000,000
tons a year.

68

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

So important has Strasbourg become to France
that the President of the French Republic, M. Dou-
mergue, has decided that he ought to have an ofi&cial
residence there comparable to the chateau of Ram-
bouiilet. Visits paid to Alsace-Lorraine since the war
by members of the French Government have made
it clear that constant visits will be advisable in order
that the needs and aspirations of the recovered pro-
vinces may be understood.

It is probable, therefore, that one of the wings of the
old episcopal palace at Strasbourg, known as the
Ch§.teau des Rohans, will be utilized as the Presidential
Residence. At present this noble building, which was
constructed in 1730-42 for the Cardinal Armand-
Gaston de Rohan Soubise on the plans of Robert
de Cotte, is used partly as a museum of decorative
art and also as a picture gallery.

When the French regained Strasbourg the paintings
and exhibits were found to have been rather in-
artistically shown. They are now more systematically
displayed with the general aim of putting in the place
of honour Alsatian paintings. In the museum there
are some magnificent examples of wrought ironwork,
for the Alsatians for centuries have been exceptionally
clever at this form of art. There is also a collection
of clocks not equalled elsewhere in France. It follows,
therefore, that the President, when he comes to occupy
the wing that is vacant, will have in the remainder
of the building art collections that will remind him
of the arts and crafts of this rich land.

The more the history of Alsace is studied, the more
the resemblance between this frontier land and the
city States of Greece becomes apparent. There was
a constant struggle between the Alsatian nobility,

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG 69

who were in many cases little better than robber chiefs,
and the bourgeois, who organized in city guilds and
had the strong support of the worldng classes. The
story during the Middle Ages of the principal towns
in this rich land is of continuous strife between these
two factions, until at length the cities became free
and were governed by a Republican Constitution.

Erasmus in somewhat exaggerated language thus
describes the constitution adopted at Strasbourg:
" Monarchy without tyranny, aristocracy without
factions, democracy without riots, wealth without
luxury, and prosperity without ostentation.” In
spite of these ideals falling far short of realization, this
Constitution was solemnly read aloud each year to
the citizens of Strasbourg from a dais in front of the
main entrance of the Cathedral, the townsfolk raising
their hands above their heads as a sign that they
swore to abide by it. This ceremony was carried
out for upwards of 300 years, and was not abandoned
when Alsace came under the sway of the Kings of
France.

This popular oath of allegiance sworn so publicly
to the Constitution helps to explain why to-day the
Strasbourgeois are extremely independent. As is
stated elsewhere, in order to maintain their social
services and to keep their city so clean and tidy that
it might well serve as a model to the rest of France,
they do not grudge pa3dng heavier taxation than
Frenchmen “ of the Interior ”. One prominent citizen
in fact remarked, rather bitterly, “ If other French-
men paid their taxes as promptly and regularly as we
do, our financial difficulties as a nation would soon
disappear.” i '

One of the most original housing experiments of

60

A WAYFAKER IN ALSACE

recent years is now in operation at Strasbourg, where
150 houses have recently been built with the sole object
of encouraging large faunilies. Fathers are offered a
good house at a low rent, while mothers are assured of
being able to bring up their children amid picturesque
and healthy surroundings.

These homes are built on ground which seven years
ago was occupied by German fortifications. The
capital required has been provided by a local firm
of sweet manufacturers, known as *' La Maison
Ungemach, Soci 4 t 6 Alsacieime d’ Alimentation.”
During the war the directors of this firm found that
their profits were very high. They were, however,
shrewd enough to imitate the example of many of
the German capitalists in the district, and invest their
marks in Canadian, United States and South American
gilt-edged securities. If this fortune had remained
in marks it would have been worth very little after
the Armistice, but in dollars it amotmted to a sub-
stantial sum, out of which ;^ioo,ooo was set aside
for a housing scheme. The directors allocated this
sum to this purpose because in their opioion they were
profits which ought not to be retained by the com-
pany, but should be returned to the community in
so far as they were directly accumulated as a result
of the war.

Furthermore, as one of the chief needs of France
to-day is children, the scheme is so devised as to give
young married people a home where they may bring
up a family under healthy conditions.

In consultation with M. Millerand, who at that time
was the Commissioner-General, and wdth the authori-
ties of the city of Strasbourg, it w'as arranged to build
a garden city on land formerly occupied by the glacis

p.'

LES JAUDENS UNGEMACH AT STRASBOURG

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG 61

of the fortifications. This is now called “ Les Jardins
Ungemach For the time being M. Dachert, the
former manager of the factory, is acting volimtarily
and in an honorary capacity as managing director of
the scheme, but steps have been taken so that the
whole property may belong to the city of Strasbourg
by the New Year of 1950.

At the very outset of the scheme it was decided to
hold a special competition open to all the architects
of France for planning the houses. The essential
points of the designs laid down by the trustees were
that each house should be a detached bungalow
surrounded by a garden ; that there should be a
living room, two or three bedrooms, a combined
kitchen and dining-room, a scullery, an attic, a spacious
cellar, and the usual offices. There was a large entry
in the competition, and the designs were examined and
classified by a special jury that was composed of the
following : The President of the foimdation, M.
L 4 on-Ungemach, who will hold the position imtil his
death ; the Vice-President, M. Dachert, who has
given up all his business responsibilities in order that
he may devote himself to seeing the scheme carried
into being; the Mayor of the town of Strasbourg,
M. Louis Bonnier ; the Inspector-General of Archi-
tectural Designs in Paris, and certain local officials.
The first prize was 30,000 francs. Eventually M.
Paul Rutt 4 , of Paris, was selected as the archi-
tect, and M. Jean Sorg, of Strasbourg, the resident
architect.

There are now twenty-seven difierent types of
houses erected, thus giving plenty of diversity in
appearance. In the bedrooms there are wash-basins
with running hot and cold water. In the scullery

62

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

there is a bath moulded out of concrete at the same
time as the concrete walls of the house are being con-
structed in order to save money. But in order that
this bath may not be used as a depository for coal
or as a residence for hens, as occurs in so many English
houses, it is only installed if the tenants ask for it,
although they axe encouraged to do so.

A separate room with an exit to the garden is pro-
vided to accommodate bicycles, perambulators and
garden implements. There is electric light and gas laid
on as well as a plentiful supply of water. A special
point is made of the cellars, which extend under the
whole of the house and are sufficiently commodious
for the storing of vegetables, coal, wine if necessary,
and also can be used for a carpenter’s shop or a dark
room. The Alsatians axe keen craftsmen, and therefore
appreciate these facilities.

The rents are fixed at a rate at least 25 per cent,
lower than those charged for any other houses of equal
importance situated in the town. Each house is
detached, occupied by one family with no lodgers,
and has a separate garden. In view of the lower
rents and higher amenities, it is no wonder that
the number of applications for houses is very
great.

In order to select from these, an elaborate ques-
tionnaire has to be filled in by each prospective tenant,
who has to state his own age and that of his wife,
and the number of brothers and sisters on both sides,
on the principle that those who belong to large families
are likely to have more children than those from small
ones. He is also required to provide health certificates
as well as two references as to character. Tenants
must be earning their own living, and there is a

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG

63

limitation on unearned income. Marks are given
according to the satisfactory nature, or otherwise^ of
the replies.

Thus a young man and wife, both imder thirty,
who have been married a year, with one baby, which
possesses five uncles and five aunts, with medical
history on both sides tmblemished, have a better
chance of a house than a man of thirty-five who has
been married five years and yet has no children.
Extra marks are given if the mother is prepared to do
all the housework without a servant, and if the husband
is able to furnish proofs that he is doing useful work
2is a citizen. Scouts, for example, have a “ pull ”,
and there are three houses side by side each occupied
by men who play a prominent part in the scout move-
ment of Strasbourg. To complete the scheme, there
is a stipulation that any young married couple who
have occupied their house for three years, and are stiU
childless, have to leave and find accommodation
elsewhere.

The trustees have very clear ideals which they
express thus : “ In a garden to-day the expert gardener
spends time and trouble over the strong seedlings, but
those that are weak he throws on one side. But in
the human world money is being freely taken out of
the pockets of hard-working taxpayers in order to
subsidize the thriftless, lazy, and selfish members of
society. In the Ungemach Garden City we try to
reverse the situation, and give fathers and mothers
who are hard-working and healthy and prepared
to accept the trials and responsibilities of parent-
hood the definite advantages of homes where they
can bring up their families under the best possible
conditions.”

64 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

One of the most delightful touches about this garden
suburb is the attention given to gardens and flowers.
A landscape gardener has laid out all the gardens,
and made the utmost use of the trees and the water
that runs through the grounds. The names given to
tlie roads also carry out the same idea. There is the
Avenue des Hyacinthes, the Cours de Printemps, the
Boulevard de Wisteria, the Rue des Fraises, the Rue
des Narcisses.

On this point a good example is set to those who
were responsible for renaming after the Armistice
many of the streets in Alsace. In the first flush of
enthusiasm it was decided in almost every town and
village to delete the German names of streets, and
to put in their place ts^ical and patriotic French
names. The result is a curious hotch-potch of names
that in some cases are too long, and in others are
already a trifle out of date.

For example, in one little town the motorist enters
a broad road flanked by red buildings, obviously relics
of the German occupation, and sees marked up in
large letters “Boulevard du Prdsident Wilson”, and
runs on to the " Avenue de la Republique ” and
the " Avenue Raymond Poincard ”. Military names
abound, but fortunately in the majority of cases their
names are short, as for example the “ Avenue Joffre ”,
or the “ Boulevard Pdtain The day on which the
towns were first occupied by French troops is also
commemorated in the nomenclature of the street.
For example, in Sdlestat if you ask the way, you may
be told, “ Go along la Rue du 17 Novembre, then foUow
la Rue du 4® Zouaves, and in time you will reach la Place
de la Victoire.” The reference to the Zouaves is due
to the fact that the troops that first reached Sdlestat

MORE ABOUT STRASBOURG 65

belonged to this regiment. SimUaxly in Mulhouse
you may be told to " cross the Rue du ii Novembre, go
into the Avenue Clemenceau, and pass along the Rue
de la Somme. Then go straight ahead until you reach
by the railway line the Rue du Marechal Joffre
that crosses the Rue de la Paix and the Rue de la
Victoire ”.

Strasbourg is like a palimpsest of history, if the names
of the streets are studied. Many will be glad to see
that the municipal authorities have not disturbed the
names of one cluster of roads called the Rue Richard
Wagner, the Rue Richard Brahms, the Rue Schubert,
the Rue Gounod, the Rue Berlioz, the Rue Liszt, and
the Rue Beethoven. The roads that lead from the
central railway station in Strasbourg to the Orangerie,
the beautiful public park, are now named successively
the Boulevard du President Wilson, the Boulevard du
President Poincar4, the Boulevard Clemenceau, the
Boulevard Gambetta, the Rue du General Ducrot, and
the Rue du G4n^ral Ulrich.

Even allowing for the national pride of the victors,
it is impossible not to be rather amused at this per-
petual reminder of war personalities. It woidd be
difficult to imagine that Lowestoft, for example, the
English town that was bombarded from the sea, should
decide to rename its streets Boulevard Admiral Beatty
or Avenue Sir John French, the two personalities who
were responsible for the defence of this town by land
and sea.

Neverthdess, the street names in Alsace are sig-
nificant of the feeling of the people, who are glad to
reside m a boulevard that has the cachet of a dis-
tinguished statesman or army commander.

But as the years go by and the glamour of the
V

66

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

war victories diminishes, when comes a new generation
to whom Joffre and Foch are mere historical names,
it is probable that they will prefer to live in a road
named after a flower, as in Les Jardins Ungemach,
rather than after a Field-Marshal.

CHAPTER VII

WISSEMBOURG AND DISTRICT

" Two children in two neighbour villages
Playing mad pranks along the heathy leas ;

Two strangers meeting at a festival;

Two lovers whispering by an orchard wall ;

Two lives bound fast in one with golden ease ;

Two graves grass-green beside a gray church-tower,
Wash’d with still rains and daisy-blossomed ;

Two children in one hamlet bom and bred ;

So runs the round of life from hour to hour.”

Tennyson

T he town of Wissembourg is in the north-east
angle of Alsace close to the frontier. It is
rarely visited by English people, and shows fewer
traces of being joined to France than any other town
we visited.

For the first time I had some difficulty in making
myself understood without speaking German. At a
photographer's shop the proprietor was unable to
speak a word of French, and in a stationer's the lady
behind the counter offered me a number of picture
postcards of German soldiers at work and play. This
was part of an old stock that had not been replenished.
All the shops, in fact, contained goods that had appar-
ently been sitting on the shelves at any rate since 1918,

68 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

The dock had indeed moved more slowly than else-
where in Alsace.

In appearance the town is very like Bruges, but the
wooded hills around give an added attraction. The
towers of the church stand among trees, and there
are spadous dismantled ramparts, from which one
can look down on the quaint streets, through which the
River Lauter flows, in some cases actually touching the
walls of the houses, and in others bordered by miniature
quays.

At one time there was situated here one of the most
powerful Abbeys of Europe, wealthy in land, vineyards
and forests. The Abbot had the right to mint his own
money, and was the proud bearer of the title of Prince.
His monks acted as masters in a school, the renown
of which spread throughout Central Europe. But
to-day all that remains of the Abbey is the beautiful
church and exquisite cloisters, where the monks used
once to work.

The town which sprang up aroimd the monastery is
sleepy and old world, with the grass forcing its way
through the cobbles in the side streets. Many of
the houses are distinctivdy French in style, with the
fa 9 ades and decorations that were in vogue in the
reign of Louis XV. Here and there a building in
the ugliest style of German bureaucratic architecture
jars amid the charm of the French houses. The post
office, for example, ponderous and angular, spoils the
whole street. Those who see it can sympathize with
the former mhabitants,who after i8yo fled away from
the German occupation.

Wissembourg was at that time practically depopulated
of all the better-class families when Alsace was handed
to Germany, and this may be due to the fact that for

WISSEMBOURG AND DISTRICT 69

generations past the town had been very closely
associated with French military life. If it is possible to
imagine Chdtenham in a conquered England suddenly
finding itself under a military governor sent from
Potsdam, then we may have some idea of the feelings
of those families in Wissembourg who had made it a
rule to send their sons into the Army. They emigrated
without any hesitation, and in the French Army before
the war there were no less than fifty officers in the
higher grades all of whom had close connections with
this little town, the total population of which to-day
is imder seven thousand.

The tragic atmosphere of the place is stated to have
affected the first German official, the Kreisdirector
Stichaner, who was sent to administer it. He modified
the harsh orders that he received from Berlin, and
tradition still relates how he loved the town, its history
and its memories. It is a pleasing exception to the
general rule to find a monument raised to this German
official at the gate of the town, and to hear from the
old folk, who can remember his period in office, that
he was truly a friend of the people.

In earlier years Wissembourg was the scene of some of
the dramatic events in the life of Stanislas Leszcynsld.

His story is one of the most romantic of the crowned
heads of Europe, for after his downfall and exile from
the throne of Poland, when his goods had been con-
fiscated, he existed for a time on a dole given him by
France in a house that can stiU be seen in the little
country town. In such surroundings occurred the
critical hour of his destiny, when he revived the family
fortunes by the lucky marriage of his daughter,
Marie.

In this old house that was used by the Freemasons

ro A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

during the time of the French Revolution, and later
became a Convent Hospital, the ex-King of Poland
lived with his wife, Catherine Opalinska, his old mother
Aime Jablonowska; a Count Tarlo, the Marshal of
his former palace ; the Baron of Meszceck, his private
secretary ; five ofiicers who remained loyal to him ;
and three ladies-m-waiting for the Queen. Judging
from the present size of the house, the party must have
been somewhat overcrowded.

In the tiny garden Stanislas planned out how to
recover his lost throne. The only way out of his
comparative poverty seemed to him to be a good
marriage for his daughter. Some of his letters
addressed to the Chevalier de Vauchoux were pub-
lished in Paris in 1900, and they reveal how the two
were planning a marriage with the Duke de Bourbon.
The Duke’s mistress, Madame de Prie, was encouraging
such a marriage, because she believed so poor a wife
could not possibly threaten her sway. Marie waited
at Wissembourg, spending much of her time on her
knees in the old church there. She was not excep-
tionally beautiful, although she had a good complexion,
but she was clever, witty, kindly and generous in
character. In the little room, now occupied by
hospital beds, said to have been her boudoir, she waited
for the announcement of her proposed marriage with
the Duke, until a mysterious painter arrived from
Paris who was instructed to paint her portrait. This
was done, and three weeks later her father entered and
cried out in excitement : —

“ My daughter, let us fall down on our knees and
thank God 1 ”

She thought that he had been called back to the
throne of Poland, until he exclaimed : —

WISSEMBOURG AND DISTRICT 71

“ Heaven is indeed gracious to us. You are to be
Queen of France ! ”

What a change for the girl to leave that house with
its ten trees in the garden, and twelve windows over-
looking one of the narrow streets, for the magnificence
of Versailles !

Curiously enough, the Duke’s mistress, Madame de
Prie, also favoured the new proposal, as she thought
that this new combination would be advantageous,
for the Queen could simply be used by her for her
own purposes. Although some enemies intrigued
against the engagement, and spread reports against
the girl’s character and against the late King of
Poland, Louis XV solemnly announced that he
proposed to marry the only daughter of Stanislas
Leszc 3 mski. After this announcement the anxiety
was removed from the family living at Wissembourg,
and preparations were made for her bridal dress. A
friend in Paris asked that one of her shoes, a pair of
her gloves, and the length of her sMrt should be sent
in order that the outfit could be made ready. A
modem dressmaker would be somewhat surprised if
she was asked to design dresses for a Queen, the only
measurement provided being that of the length of the
skirt !

Stanislas in the meantime was " raising the wind ”.
He borrowed money from a Governor of Strasbourg in
order to take out of pawn the royal jewels from a
Frankfort Jew to whom they had been given as
security. The same good friend provided him with
three pages in order that he might make a dignified
show at the Court in Paris.

After the marriage Stanislas persuaded his father-in-
law to take up arms to help him to recovCT his Polish

72 A WAYFABER IN ALSACE

kingdom, but after three years of ineffectual war he
completely renounced all pretensions to his former
throne, and accepted instead the Dukedom of Lorraine.

There are many other interesting houses in Wissem-
bourg in addition to that where King Stanislas and
his daughter lived for five years. The ornate house
called Bietenbeck, dating from the Renaissance ; the
house in the market-place from a window of which
Bucer preached the Reformation ; the house of the
Commander of the Teutonic Order that to-day has
been converted into the College, and many others will
be the joy of artists and architects who trouble to visit
this frontier town.

Wissembourg is also a centre for excursions, as it is
situated at the very spot where the River Lauter
flows out into the plain of the Rhine. Accordingly,
a visitor can easily walk to the ruins of some feudal
castle on the hills, or saunter along the flat roads in
the plain through which the Rhine runs like a silver
ribbon at the foot of the Black Forest. On a clear
day, far away to the south can be seen the spire of the
Cathedral of Strasbourg, and to the north the towers
of the Cathedral of Spire.

Those who appreciate a good cuisine should certainly
try trout from the Lauter cooked with exquisite
skill, a dish fit for one of those barons who occupied
the castles on the hills. The place is also famous
for a particular vintage of Tokay, renowned for its
mellow bouquet.

Wandering one day by one of the canals a little way
from the town I was given an interesting reason, for
the truth of which I cannot vouch, for the existence of
so many watercourses, that are almost concealed as
they twine their way through the plain. A local

Sl’RASBOURG CATHEDRAL

WISSEMBOURG AND DISTRICT 78

historian assured me that many of these canals were
cut by the local inhabitants in the Middle Ages as a
safe route by which they might hope to escape the
notice of the chieftains who lived in the castles on
the Vosges, from which they swooped down upon
any hapless travellers whom they spied moving along
the main roads. A bridal party joume3dng to a
village church in those savage days stood a jSfty-to-one
chance of being stopped by armed men, who would
loot the presents and take the bride up to some hill
fortress. Some shrewd man, however, who possibly
noted how the frogs tried to conceal themselves among
the rushes against the attacks of greedy storks, sug-
gested — so the story goes — ^that boats passing along the
canals, keeping well to the bank, and so hidden by the
reeds and long grass, were safe from marauders. After
a time this became a most popular method of transport
for the peasants who lived under constant fear of
attacks either from German princes to the east or
chieftains of the Vosges to the west. As a possible
confirmation of this story there are the old prints
picturing the passage of a wedding party carried on
barges by can^ to a village church in Alsace.

The coimtry around Wissembourg is in places given
over to commerce. For it should not be forgotten
that the soil of Alsace conceals rich treasures — clays
and sands that are used in the manufacture of some
of Europe’s most exquisite china and glass ; iron ore
utilized in numerous engineering works ; and also
petroleum and eisphalt raised from the ground and
treated with the latest scientific methods.

The mines of Pechelbroim, not far from Wissem-
bourg, have a romantic as weU as an historic interest.
As long ago as 1498 a professor of the University wrote

74

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

about the springs of bituminous water that had been
discovered, but it was not until 1735 that the borings
began to be exploited methodically. After the Armis-
tice the mines became the property of the French
Government, who have let them out on lease since
1921 to a French company. For miles roimd there
may be seen in the centre of cultivated crops a small
pump laboriously working, fitted on to a temporar}?^
tripod. These pumps, of which there are more than
five hundred in use to-day, have a curiously primitive
appearance. They are, however, t37pical of French
industry, which knows how to economize in labour
and outward show. A visit to the central works, to
which the mineral oil is conveyed in pipes, makes it
clear how the most perfected methods are utilized in
the manufacture of the various oils and petrols that
are extracted from the raw liquid. The central
laboratories of Merwille are modd installations of
modem science.

Those who cannot spare the time to stay in Wissem-
bourg should note that a delightful tom: in cars through
the Basses Vosges, starting from the station at
Strasbomg in the morning and returning in the even-
ing, has been organized by the enterprising Alsace
and Lorraine Railway. For those who have oidy
limited time this provides a rapid and pleasant method
for seeing the country north of Strasbomg.

The route first runs through Brumath, a little town
on the River Zom, famous for its beautiful forests, that
are as popular with the people of Strasbourg as Epping
Forest is with Londoners. Then is reached Reichs-
hoffen, that once bdonged to the Bishops of Strasbomg,
and boasts of an eighteenth-centmy church and a
ch&teau in a beautiful park. The French cavalry

WISSEMBOURG AND DISTRICT

75

were massed here before the famous battle in 1870, but
the charge, that is as glorious in French history as our
Charge of the Light Brigade, actually took place at
Morsbronn. This town is to-day gaining fame for its
mineral baths, which have recently cured many suffer-
ing from rheumatism, gout and sciatica.

Niederbroim is the next town of the tour, and this,
too, is a famous bathing-place. In the local museum
may be found many rehcs of the old Roman baths.
After the Roman legions abandoned this part of Europe,
the baths fell into disuse, and it was not imtil the
sixteenth century that a local Count, after being cured
of gout himself by taking the waters, decided to estab-
lish a modest bathing installation. This grew, and
in the Revolution became public property. Of recent
years the baths have been greatly improved, and
the town now rivals Harrogate in the beauty of its
surroundings and the entertainments and recreations
offered to visitors.

Farther along the route is passed Hanau and Lem-
bach, the latter being the terminus of the line. This
is another smiling little town that is a popular centre
of excursions. On the way home the visitor sees
Woerth, where on 6 August, 1870, the army of
MacMahon resisted so heroically the German offensive.

CHAPTER VIII

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE

These grey stones have run with mirth and lordly carousel :
Here proud kings mingled Poetry and ruddy wine.

All hath pass’d long ago ,* nought but this ruin abideth.
Sadly in eyeless trance gazing upon the river.”

From the Chinese

0 ,NE hot day in June, when Strasbourg was en
fHe and filled with troops, I met a quiet, modest
figure with a knapsack on his back hurrying away
to the railway station. In reply to a question as to
where he was going, he told me with a smile :

I don't like crowds, and I have seen quite enough
of soldiers, for I acted as one of the interpreters
attached to Lord AUenby's army, so I am going up to
Obernai and the hiUs for a quiet walk."

Any English visitor who cares to foUow:. the road
taken by this ex-service man will find that Obernai
is well worth a visit. This town, with less than four
thousand inhabitants, is so ancient that crude carvings
have been discovered which prove that at one time
it was inhabited by Celts. In the seventh centurj^
the ch§.teau was held by the Duke of Alsace, and the
remains of the battered fortifications may still be
explored.

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE

77

On Sundays in the summer hundreds of excursionists
from Strasbourg pass through this town on then-
way to Sainte-Odile, which is one of the shrines of
Alsace.

The Convent of Sainte-Odile is situated on a hill
762 metres high, and is embowered among the trees.
Pilgrims who come there may stand on the terrace and
look with pride over the plain of Alsace, where on a
dear day can be seen over the tops of the forest trees
no less than twenty towns and 300 villages. It is not
only one of the most famous hUls in Central Europe,
but from its summit can be seen land that has been
tramped over by Celtic warriors, Caesar’s legionaries,
knights on their way to the Crusades, mercenaries from
all parts of Europe, and by modem soldiery.

The convent itself wais founded, so says the old
legend, at the end of the seventh century by Sainte-
Odile, who was the daughter of a Duke of Alsace. It
was extremely prosperous imtil the twelfth century,
when it was burnt down. In 1617 the buildiugs were
reconstructed. Although they were confiscated at
the French Revolution, they were bought back in the
middle of the nineteenth century by the Archbishop
of Strasbourg, who installed there nuns bdonging to
the Third Order of St. Francis.

The story of the saint will be to many far more
interesting than that of the building. Professor
Pfister, who in the old days was Professor of History
at the Sorboime and is now Dean of the Faculty of
Letters of the University of Strasbourg, has established
the chief historical facts about her life.

Sainte-Odile was bom about the year 660 at Ober-
nai, the little town described above. Her father
Yfas the third Duke of Alsace. The spelling of his

78

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

name has given rise to controversy on the part of
historians. Some say that it Weis Adahic, others
Etichon, and others Atticus. He was a Merovingian,
and his wife, Bereswinde, was the sister-in-law of
Child^ric II. Out of the legends of those shadowy
days comes the story of Ste. Odile, the girl who, after
a long mterval, was bom to Bereswinde. Adalric,
the father, was bitterly disappointed, because he hoped
for a son. He entertained most lavishly an Irish
monk, and commanded him to arrange with God for
an heir to be given. But the monk warned the father
that a daughter would be bom, who would strive
with him throughout his life, and in the end, sd
he prophesied, “ the dove will conquer the furious
lion ”.

Adalric regarded the fulfilment of such a prophecy
as a disaster, and his anger was almost uncontrollable
when a girl was actually bom, and especially when it
was discovered that she was born blind. He ordered
that either the baby should be killed, or else that she
should be taken away to some foreign country where
her origin was unknown. Accordingly, she was
hurried away — ^no doubt with thfe connivance of her
mother — ^to Burgundy, to a convent at Baume-les-
Dames, where an aunt of Bereswinde was Abbess.

The child in time grew up, but was not baptized
until she had reached girlhood. About that time
St. Erhard, a Bishop of Ratisbon, was told in a vision
that he was to visit this convent and baptize a child
who had been blind from birth, giving her the name
of OdUe, which means " a daughter of light The
Bishop obediently travelled from Bavaria to France,
and there baptized Adalric’s daughter. A miracle at
once occurred, ■[for as soon as her eyes were anointed

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE 79

she was able to see, and upon this deter min ed to
consecrate her life to God.

The subsequent history of the saint has different
versions. It is recorded by most writers that a special
appeal was made to the Duke, beseeching him to be
reconciled to his daughter, but, although by this time
he had four sons and another daughter, he declined
even to see her. The furious lion would show no
mercy to the dove.

Ste. Odile, however, longed to know her father and
mother and the land of her birth, and begged her
brother Hugues to speak for her. As soon as the
father heard of this he nearly murdered his son in his
wrath. Time passed, and eventually this savage Duke,
a character rather like that of Kmg Lear, became
milder, and he consented to see his daughter. On her
arrival he was so impressed with her beauty and charm
that he decided to arrange for her marriage with a
neighbouring German Prince with a view to the possible
extension of his kingdom.

Ste. Odile then announced that she had taken the
vows, and wished to return to the convent in order to
continue her religious life. At this her father’s anger
broke out afresh, and the unfortunate girl felt that
her only safety lay in flight. Accordingly she dis-
guised herself as a beggar and set out from Hohen-
burgh towards the Rhine. Adahic, in company with
his knights, followed her, and had nearly succeeded
in making her captive when she appealed to God for
help. At that moment a rock, now known as the
Odilenstein, near Fribourg, opened and closed over
her. Thus the dove conquered the furious lion, for
the Duke was so impressed by this miracle that, return-
ing to his castle, he proclaimed that if his daughter

80

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

wotild return he would respect her sacred vocation.
The news reached Ste. Odile within her rock, and she
returned. Adalric tried to make up for his past harsh-
ness by decreeing that his fortress should become a
convent — ^the first ever founded in Alsace — ^with his
daughter as the first Abbess.

For ten years Ste. Odile presided over the convent,
and old chronicles tell of how she lay on a bearskin
at night, and fed by day on a small piece of barley
bread. Endless stories are related of her acts of
charity. It is told, for example, how on one occasion
she embraced a dying leper, who immediately was
cured. She founded a hospital for the sick, and also
another abbey near the fountain of Ste. Odile.

Her father and mother lived quietly with her till
the end of their lives, and after their death she con-
tinued to live a life of austerity and contemplation on
the top of the mountain. She died in 720, and her
remains were buried in the Chapel of Ste. Odile.

It is interesting to note that Professor Pfister, who
is not a Catholic, has expressed his conviction that
the relics venerated by pilgrims to-day are authentic.
The Roman Church from the ninth century has
encouraged this cult of Ste. OdUe. Among pilgrims
to her shrine were Charlemagne and Richard Coeur
de Lion. In spite of fires which completely burnt
down the building five times in two hundred years, her
tomb was rmtouched. The mercenaries that fought
in the seventeenth century. Swedes and others, re-
frained from pillaging her tomb, which was, howevar,
destroyed by sacrilegious hands during the French
Revolution. Nevertheless, the relics themsdves were
safdy hidden away in the wall of a ceUax by a Canon
Rumpler of Obemai, and were replaced on the altar

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE 81

of the Chapel in 1854. Since that time two Pop^,
Pius IX and Pius X, have paid reverence to the blind
girl, who is one of the most striking figures in Alsatian
history.

Rene Bazin, in his book Les ObirU, has said very
happily that in her Chapd “ all Alsace for centuries
has knelt ", while Pierre Bucher has written that
“Le mont Ste. Odile est le coeur de 1 ’ Alsace, dites
vous — ^sans battement."

Down the slope of the hill is reached her holy well,
visited by many pilgrims, who hope by bathing their
eyes in the water either to restore or to strengthen
their sight. For the legend is told that Ste. Odile,
while on her way to her hospital, found a man dying
of thirst on the rough moimtain path. In order to
bring him help she struck the rock with her staff, and
out of it flowed a stream of water which restored the
man to life.

The inscription on the marble slab above the foui;-
tain suggests another version of the legend, according
to which the man was accompanied by a blind son,
who miraculously received his sight as soon as the
water from the rock was sprinkled on his eyes.

Such in rough outline is the story of Ste. Odile,
whose pictures may be seen in many a shop, and whose
Chapd continues to be one of the most favoured places
of pilgrimage for Alsatian Catholics. Her image,
dressed as an Abbess, is preserved in a glass case in
the Chapd of the Cross in the church. There is a
black veil about her head, while her robe is made
of white silk, with a mantle violet in colour, lined with
ermine. In the quadrangle outside there is a stone
statue to her memory, surrounded by old-fashioned
flowers grown in tubs.

6

82 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Those who are inclined to be incredulous of the
marvels told about this saint should read Professor
Pfister’s book. This old gentleman, who, in his
office at the University, in spite of many calls upon
his time, gave me one day with the greatest courtesy
some idea of the historical background of modem
Alsace, has clearly established the main facts of Ste.
Odile’s life in his scholarly book, Le Duchi Mdrovingien
d‘ Alsace, et La Ldgende ie Ste. Odile.

Within easy motoring distance of Ste. Odile, but
a complete contrast to the calm religious atmosphere
of the Convent, is Haut-Koenigsbourg, the m ilitary
fortress of the Middle Ages, restored by the ex-Kaiser
in 1902, with the object of maldng it as far as possible
a perfect representation of a castle of the fifteenth
century.

Travellers who are interested in architecture, or
in the psychology of an Emperor, will find it well
worth while to make a short stop at this castle, which
is now, imder the Treaty of Versailles, one of the
national palaces of France. French soldiers occupied
it on 20 November, 1918, and in 1919 the Director of
Fine Arts and Architecture, under the Commissionar-
General, was nominated to take charge of this building
belonging to " Wilhelm II of Hohenzollem, ex-German
Emperor, German subject ”.

The French are therefore responsible for one of
the most remarkable, but little known, buildings in
Europe, that emulates in restored form Carcassonne or
the Palace of the Popes at Avignon. If it is possible
to imagine Edinburgh Castle deprived of all the
barracks and military buildings, and then lavishly
restored by some imaginative architect into a semblance
of what he imagined it must have looked like in the

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE 88

days of Robert Bruce, and fitting ingeniously the old
stonework into the new edifice, then the reader can
have some idea of Haut-Koenigsbourg to-day.

The first date on which there is any record of a
fortified building standing on the site is in 1147, when
Eong Conrad III owned one of the towers and the
Duke of Alsace the other. It was subjected later
to endless sieges, and was several times destroyed.
After its almost complete annihilation in 1462, the
ruins were handed by the Emperor Frederic III to a
Swiss Count, who, assisted by financial contributions
from the town of Strasbourg, reconstructed the castle,
and made it one of the most important fortified places
in the Vosges. Under this family of Thiersteins the
chS.teau flourished, but during the Thirty Years War
it was bombarded by the Swedes. Louis XIV, after
the Treaty of Westphalia, as Sovereign of Alsace, there-
upon became the oAvner of the building. During the
Revolution it was declared to be national property,
and eventually, after various vicissitudes, in 1885 it
was bought, together with the surrounding forests, by
the rich little town of Selestat.

The late German Emperor, in one of his periodical
visits to Alsace, arrived at the castle. Knowing
archaeology to be one of his little hobbies, the town of
S^estat, which was finding the cost of upkeep of the
structure extremely heavy, tried to please the Kaiser,
and also to save the ratepayers’ pockets, by presenting
bim with the ruins. The Emperor wais delighted.
He said that he was very proud of possessing “ in
beautiEul Alsace a personal home of this kind He
then proposed to conduct a magnificent restoration
in order “ to revive the splendour of feudal times ”.

Unfortunately for the local inhabitants, he was not

84 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

prepared to do this at his own expense, and asked the
Alsatians to foot the bill. After acrimonious discus-
sion, and in spite of much opposition, the members of
the local Parliament in 1901 voted 150,000 marks
towards the expense of the work. Then came a
protracted debate as to the method of restoration,
but the Kaiser as usual had his own ideas, and em-
ployed his architect, a M. Boudou Edhardt, who was
a " specialist ” in the restoration of castles. An
advisory committee was also appointed of professors,
historians and archaeologists. The result was that
the castle to-day largely follows a conception which
the Kaiser and his airchitectural adviser had of a
German feudal castle. They gave plenty of scope
to their imaginations and used the experience gadned
in repair work on German castles. Although it is
not a painstaking and scholarly restoration, such' as
the British Office of Works, under Sir Frank Baines,
has carried out in Melrose Abbey, it has, neverthe-
less, given Alsace an extremely interesting example of
military architecture. For the whole place as restored
is bellicose. For example, the Kaiser in several
places has added a drawbridge, or introduced special
features in the defensive system to enable stones or
boiling oil to be thrown down on the attacking forces.

After passing through the entrance gates, that are
strongly defended, there is a courtyard with a house
built in the Alsatian style for the occupation of the
guards and servants. On the other side there is a
forge and a windmill, both designed to suit the rather
exotic taste of the Kaiser. Out of this leads a road
giving access to the central keep, guarded by five
successive gates that are each fitted with a draw-
bridge, portcullis and other forms of defence. In the

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE 85

central keep axe a variety of rooms, a chapel, bedrooms,
an armoury, and a dining-room.

The armoury is an arsenal filled with swords, spears
and mediaeval weapons. Immediately above is the
room where solemn banquets were given by the Kaiser
on the occasion of his annual visit, when he rested in
the castle for a few hours, but curiously enough never
slept there. The chairs still stand round the table,
and one particular chair wais specially designed for the
Kaiser. Although to outward appearance it is the
same height as the others, anyone who sits in it is
elevated well above his neighbours. The humorous
guide insists on short members of parties that he is
conducting roimd sitting in this “ trick ” chair, from
which they can look down on their friends.

This dining-room is in a haU that is called La Salle
des F^tes, and it stands over the armoury, or La Salle
des Chevaliers. The walls are ornamented with
heraldic frescoes by the painter, Leon Schnug, and
contain several relics characteristic of the taste of the
Emperor. There is, for example, preserved in a glass
case a large ornamented key, the key of the castle,
wrought in the flamboyant style of modern German
art. The fender of the great fireplace was made
during the war, and engraved on it are the famous
words of the Kaiser, uttered in this room, “ Ich habe
es nicht gewollt ”, or “ It was not my doing ” — a
pathetic denial of war-guilt.

Well away from the living rooms there is an immense
donjon, more than four stories high, about which
rages an architectural controversy as to whether it
was originally built round or square. Already there is
quite a literature on the subject, but it would certainly
appear that a square tower was built in the twelfth

86 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

century, and that this was reconstructed as a round
tower some time after 1479.

Apart from these archaeological questions, the castle
is well worth a visit, although the reconstruction is often
in bad taste. The Kaiser has had his name engraved in
a blatant way, like a Cockney scratching his name
on a cathedral. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to
admire the magnitude of the conception of rebuilding
stone by stone this stupendous castle. It seems
still more extraordinary that after spending so much
care and other people’s money upon it, the Kaiser
should have only stayed there for an occasional
lunch or dinner, and not made it his Alsatian
residence.

To-day the place has become a holiday resort for
the French, as popular as Hampton Court is to
Londoners. Cars from all parts are parked outside the
front entrance, and picnic parties enjoy the shade of
the woods, while the younger members of the family
are constantly on the tiptoe of expectation in the
hopes of seeing a wild boar, complete with tusks,
like those heads which the Kaiser placed on the walls
of his own rooms within. A typical French touch is
given to the whole edifice by the selection of a gay and
witty Captain of the Chasseurs Alpins to act as chief
curator. He fought with the " Blue Devils ” in the
hills that can be seen from the windows of the high
keep, and he loses no opportunity of pointing out to
visitors, especially if they come from England or the
United States, that the Rhine can be seen gleaming
in the plain below, that the dark mass beyond is the
Black Forest, where Huns have lived for centuries,
and from which a barbarian invasion may again
emerge to attempt the destruction of modem civili«a-

A CONVENT AND A CASTLE 87

tion if France, his Fatherland, is not allowed to main-
tain a strong hold upon the frontier river.

Below the Kaiser’s castle, and some four nules to
the east of the Vosges, the Golf Club of Alsace was
opened for play in 1925. The committee s 3 nmbolizes
the friendship between Great Britain, France and
America, for it comprises M. Lazare Weiller, Senator
for Alsace, and one of France’s leading captains of
industry ; the Earl of Derby, President of the United
Associations of Great Britain and France ; Lord Charles
Montague ; and Mr. Herrick, the American Ambassa-
dor in France. Major Harvey, the popular secretary
of the Cannes Golf Club, specially visited Alsace in
order to supervise the work that is being carried out
on the course.

I decided to walk out to these links, and spoke to
several villagers asking the way, but not a single
person had ever heard of the word “ golf ”. In all
the Alsatian towns tennis is played, and indeed the
number of tennis courts in Strasbourg has doubled
since the Armistice, while in many of the smaller towns,
with the encouragement of the French Government,
football clubs have recently been formed, but the word
“ goU ”, however pronounced, simply brought a look of
utter bewilderment to the faces of the inhabitants.

At last the new golf pavilion came in sight, and I
was told by the ” canny ” groundsman, who hailed
from Le Touquet, something of the introduction of
the Royal and Ancient game into this frontier country.
Senator Weiller became attached to the game of golf
while staying at Caimes. He had on his Alsatian
property the site of an old German aerodrome covered
with turf that is made by nature to form a fair way.
On this land, with the help of Major Harvey, he has

88 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

skilfully planned the new links, which in time will
become one of the most notable and beautiful in
Europe. From the veranda of the pavilion the player
looks towards the Vosges, and the hiU immediately
in front is surmounted by Haut-Koenigsbourg. As he
stands on the first tee his golf club at the end of the
swing points in the direction of the Black Forest,
which on a clear day can be seen grim and menacing,
across the Rhine, while away to the left of the first
green can be descried on the horizon the white-capped
summits of, the Alps. All around the air is full of
the shrill chirrupings of the sauterelks, the large type of
grasshopper which flourishes on the plain of Alsace
and makes a noise peculiar to itself.

Before long it is hoped to build a golfers’ hotel
on the slopes of the Vosges not far away, and also to
utilize the mineral waters that flow so freely among the
hills. In that case it will be possible for the dyspeptic
to take the waters of Alsace, which for centuries have
been reputed for their medicinal quality, but which
were not developed by the Germans, who feared that
they might outrival some of their existing spas.

The flrst golf links of Alsace may in a few years’ time
become the scene of European championship matches,
and the ground from which German aeroplanes set
out to bomb the trenches be entirely devoted to the
peaceful golfers and their attendant caddies.

CHAPTER IX
S^ILESTAT

"... Herein lives wisdom, beauty, and increase ;
Without this, folly, age, and cold decay ..."

Shakespeare

W HEN Presidents and Cabinet Ministers visit
Alsace, they usually find themselves before long
in a treasure house situated at S61estat, about twenty
miles south of Strasbourg. This belongs to Senator
Lazare Weiller, who has modernized some historic
buildings and created gardens that are unique in the
east of France.

The estate is called the Lieutenancy, no doubt owing
to the fact that at one time it was occupied by Fran9ois
de Roze de Provench^res, a Lieutenant of the King,
sent to S^lestat to represent the Monarch in 1634.
After that date the house became the official residence
of the King's representative, and in 1744 Louis XV,
on his way from Strasbourg to Brisgau, stayed there
for the night. Much of the ancient building has been
skilfully retained, but the whole house has been
modernized in order to provide every comfort for the
many guests, not only from France but from England
and the United States, who visit M, Weiller.

On arrival at the station of the little town of S^lestat

SfiLESTAT 91

her mate visits the marshes and brings back frogs
to supply the needs of the growing family. Judging
from the clacking of beaks which commences in the
early hours of the morning, and can be heard at inter-
vals throughout the day until after lo p.m., life is
strenuous for storks even in a land so rich as Alsace.
Their nest, however, adds just the touch of romance
needed to complete the atmosphere of the Lieutenancy.

When the visitor enters the gates and looks towards
the east, he will see the oldest part of the house —
the right wing, on to which three bedrooms open, and
at the end of which there is a small outside staircase.
The ground floor has been converted into a garage,
from which entry may be effected into a series of
enormous cellars, some of which are stored with
wine made from grapes grown on vineyards not far
away. Thus guests are not only privileged to live in
an Alsatian home, but they may also drflak the home
vintage.

Passing up the stone steps through the front door
the visitor enters into the great hall, with heavy oak
beams running across the ceiling. Opposite, the
windows look out to the north, and the thickness of
the walls here immediately attracts notice, for they
are in part the original ramparts that were built in
the thirteenth century for a Palace of Charlemagne.
Tarade, a pupil of Vauban, in 1675 built fortifications
round S^lestat, and some of the old defences were
in time incorporated m the Lieutenant’s house.

In the modernization of this historical building
the windows have been enlarged so as to admit more
light, and the rooms so arranged that they open out
into each other. The study is divided from a little
salon solely by a low wrought-iron raiUng, and from

92

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

the principal drawing-room by a magnificent specimen
of wrought-iron lattice work. Every detail has been
thought out with the utmost care, and objets d’art of
inestimable value abound. The study itself contains
several valuable pictures, induding two by Canaletto,
and a portrait of M. Lazare Weiller by the well-known
French artist Jean Beraud. There is also a bust of
Vauban by Cafifieri, and on the bookshelves numerous
books showing the Catholic outlook of their owner.

The drawing-room is notable for the large mantel-
piece made of the grey stone of the Vosges, surmounted
by a bust of Beatus Rhenanus, the founder of a
University at Sdestat at the time of the Renaissance.
He was' one of the first Humanists in Europe. English-
men will also discover with dehght on the walls
original paintings by Hoppner, Lawrence, Romney and
Re3molds. Just outside the door is a portrait of a
group taken on the terrace of M. Weiller's house at
Angoul&ne when he entertained the Prince of Wales
and Lord Derby, who was at that time British
Ambassador in Paris.

On the other side of the great hall are two dining-
rooms. On the old oak dressers in the smaller one,
which is used by the family when they are alone, is
arranged a remarkable collection of pottery of Metthey,
while on the Italian dining-table of the principal dining-
room, which is only used on state occasions, there is set
a collection of Hanong china. One of the soup tureens
in this set is so choice and rare that it cost 20,000
francs. Round the walls are portraits by Henner,
Van de Vors, Philippe de Champagne, and Reynolds.

The rooms on the first floor open out on a wide
corridor, and are all furnished with the same rare
taste. But the gem of the house is a little study on

SlfiLESTAT 9S

the first floor surrounded by Louis XVI panelling.
After the Armistice a local German attempted to tahe
this panelling into Germany, but fortunately for
France it was preserved. One of the surprises of this
room can only be enjoyed at night-time, for out of it
opens a balcony looking down upon a Florentine
garden across to another house in the grounds that
is occupied during part of the summer by M. Weiller’s
married daughter and family. Standing there on a
dark night, our host said pla 3 riully ;

“ Don’t you wish it were moonlight so that you
could see the roses blooming ? ”

A lady present replied, “ Unfortunately we cannot
dictate to the derk of the weather ”, but M. Weiller
remarked, " Ah ! I have a better way.” On that he
touched an electric switch, and hidden floodlights,
sldlfully concealed, flluminated all the gardens in a
delicate light like that of the moon.

The grounds are as charming as the interior of the
house. They have been laid out in a style that bears
traces of both French and Italian influence, with
pergolas and cloisters, statues and fountains.

Beauty, however, although attained in almost
overpowering measure, is not the sole object of -the
brain that has been responsible for creating since
the end of the war this Alsatian treasure house.
On the other side of the broad boulevard that runs
along the north of the house an extensive fruit garden
has been laid out on the English plan, designed to
show how wall fruit should be grown. This part of the
gardener’s art is not generally known in Alsace, and
the garden walls are purposely arranged with open
grilles so that local townsfolk can look through the
ironwork and see how the gardeners are training the

94 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

peaches and nectarines and pears. There is also on
the estate a small farm, so clean and dainty as to
be a model to some of the surrounding farmers, and
there turkeys presented by Lord Derby live an almost
ideal existence until Yule-tide comes near.

Those who wander through the gardens, and sit
by the Florentine fountains, or walk through the
pergolas rich with roses, have before them a kaleido-
scope of changing views. To the west are the hiUs
of the Vosges, to the east the Black Forest, and to
the south the silhouettes of the towers of the Cathedral
and the quaint old roofs of the town. Thus in a
perfect setting the fortunate wayfarer may enjoy one
of the gems of Alsace.

S^lestat itself is a fascinating old town to explore.
It is so rich in buildings and legends that I was not
surprised early one day to see Professor Pfister,
who knows more about old Alsace than any living
man, come over from the University of Strasbourg to
spend a quiet Sunday morning wandering through the
old streets.

There is good reason to believe that as long ago
as A.D. 775 the Emperor Charlemagne spent Christmas
there, while in the thirteenth century it became an
Imperial Town, and was therefore allowed to have
fortifications. During the Thirty Years War it was
besieged, and only surrendered after a protracted
resistance. By the Treaty of Westphalia it became
French. It was bombarded in 1814, besieged in 1870,
and the ramparts were dismantled in 1873. Thus it
will be seen that S 41 estat, despite its sleepy peaceful
atmosphere to-day, has passed through troublous
times.

I asked a woman in a draper’s shop how she had

SfiLESTAT 95

fared during the last war. She shrugged her shoulders.
“ Ah, yes,” she said, “ the German soldiers billeted
here were not so bad. They spent their money freely,
and after the first two months behaved fairly decently
to local inhabitants. But food became very scarce in
1918, and my children are still suffering in consequence
from weakness, the result of the privation of those
days.”

Every effort is being made to-day to improve the
health of such children, and there are crSches, dis-
pensaries, and other social activities, all designed to
produce a healthier race. The chance visitor passing
along the quaint narrow streets would have no idea
that the prominent citizens of Selestat are as active
in good works, especially in baby welfare, as any
English Council of Social Welfare. For the first
impression is that the town is in a trance. You
pass down a narrow street through which runs a
stream two feet deep and four feet wide, half expecting
to see round the comer the house of some sleepii^
Princess. Almost any quaint old building could be
drawn as it stands to-day by an artist as an illustration
for a fairy tale.

This impression is the more intense at night-time,
for then the streets are most skilfully lighted with
lamps that illuminate the paths and ^o shine upon
architectural beauties, dating in many cases from
the fifteenth and sixteenth century, that are not
noticed by day. After dark, as the wayfarer stands in
the March4 aux Poissons, where fish are never sold,
and listens to part-singing from a neighbouring house,
it is easy for him to imagine himself transported
into a romance of the Middle Ages.

SSlestat, however, despite the enchantment of its

96 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

towers and balconies, is a go-ahead little town. After
annexation to Germany many declared that it was
quite dead, for its industry declined, the population
decreased, and visitors rapidly departed, describing
it as “a melancholy and funereal place But
since 1918 local manufactures have revived, and on the
outskirts of the town may be found new mills and
workshops where china, chemical products and textiles
are manufactured, while there are several interesting
housing schemes already completed m the six years
since the Armistice.

The Library of the town should certainly not be
missed, for there are preserved the ancient books
that were left as a legacy by one of the European
philosophers of the day, Beatus Rhenanus.

S61estat, as is well said by Mr. F. C. Rimington
in his interesting book which describes a motor drive
between Strasbourg and Grenoble, also contains
“ a collection of xmspoilt mediaeval houses imsur-
passed by anything of the kind which I have seen
in Europe.” As an architect Mr. Rimington was
specially impressed by S61estat’s two principal churches,
the one “ a singularly pure and effective example ”
of the Romanesque period of architecture that
flourished in the dark ages of Europe's history, while
the other, St. George’s, " was bom Romanesque,
but owing to a variety of happenings it grew up to
be Gothic. To-day it is almost wholly the latter,
and is rightly classed amongst the finest of the Gothic
churches in Alsace ”. I quote these words because
they are written by a man of scholarship who was
evidently as impressed as we were with the attraction
of this little town.

It is reputed, with good reason no doubt, to be

THE OLD ARSENAL AT SfiLESTAT

SELESTAT 9T

the richest t6wn in France, for it owns property,
both prairie and forests, that provide an extremely
substantial income. The Mayor is a shrewd business
man, who is developing the municipal estates to their
full capacity.

There is a flourishing football club that was started
by three Englishmen who came to the place in 1906
in order to superintend the fitting up of textile
machinery in one of the local mills. But sport was
not encouraged by the Germans. The French, how-
ever, who are far more alive to the value of games
than their predecessors, gave a special grant towards
the building of a pavilion. The municipality paid
half of the cost of a gymnasium that has been erected
on the sports ground, and the Alsace Railway, always
anxious to assist the development of the country,
allows half fares to teams travelling to play matches
in neighbouring towns.

In addition to thus encouraging games, S61estat has
been attending to the housing question. The Mayor
told me that the municipality has lent in the past
two or three years no less than 350,000 francs at
3 per cent, to local townsfolk to enable them to build
houses for themselves. As a contrast to the m3niad
regulations imposed by our post-war Housing Acts in
this coxmtry, in S61estat there are no standards set
up and no restrictions imposed, for, as the Mayor
said, “ Om sole desire is that homes should be provided
with as little delay as possible.”

In M. WeiUer’s house I was privileged to meet one
evening at diimer several of the deputies for Alsace.
One was formerly a schoolmaster who knew not a
word of French at the time of the Armistice. Another
was of a rather rough t3rpe, but cheery and sincere,

H,

98 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

reirdnding me very much of Mr, Stephen Walsh, the
former Labour War Minister.

The conversation after dinner passed on to the
delicate ground of discussing prominent Englishmen.
Someone praised Lloyd George as the man who won
the war, and another Deputy, with a twinkle, imme-
diately quoted a conversation that he had had with
one of Mr. L. G.’s colleagues. He declared that a
certain English politician thus explained the superi-
ority of the British race : —

“ We do not require men of intelligence in England,
because we have traditions. Of course you have no
traditions in France. Just as it takes forty generations
of good breeding to make a lady, so it requires forty
generations of a family in high office in the State to
make tradition. That is why you in France require
men of genius 1 ”

Another Deputy declared that it was somewhat
unfair to quote this as representative of English
opinion, and said that such a man as Lord Derby
would never have dreamt of making such a foolish
statement. Immediately there was a chorus roimd
the table in praise of the late Ambassador, and a
Senator present said, " Lord Derby is the only
Englishman who could become by popular election
the President of the French Republic ! ”

A Deputy then told the following story, which has,
I believe, been published in the Parisian Ih’ess, but is
worth requoting : —

" One of my friends who was a Deputy with me in
1919 was a non-smoker. We were both delighted
when we received an official invitation to attend a
reception to be given by Lord Derby at the British
Embassy in the Faubourg St. Honore. What an

SfiLESTAT 99

evening that was ! Gorgeous butlers came round to
the guests holding huge boxes containing the most
magnificent long cigars that I have ever seen in my
life. Why, they must have cost at least twenty
francs each ! I took one, of course, and it kept me
busy all the evening.

“ The next day I went round to my friend’s flat
to see how he was after such a memorable evenmg.
•Although, as I say, he was a non-smoker, to my
surprise he offered me a cigar. I took one, examined
it, and then said, ‘ Why, this is one of the British
Ambassador’s cigars ! ’

“ My friend replied, ‘ Of course. I have fourteen
others like that. When the butlers came round, as
I was not smoking, they offered me the open box, and
each time I took out a cigar and put it away in my
pocket. England is rich enough to pay ! ’”

This story aroused roars of laughter, and it was
universally agreed that at any rate Lord Derby was
really one of the Grand Seigneurs of the world to-day.

It is always diflicult to repeat conversations without
being indiscreet or even worse. Nevertheless, another
talk that I had with a priest, whose identity of course
cannot be divulged, deserves to be summarized, for it
was typical of many expressions of opinion that I heard
from clerics. It also expressed m a somewhat exag-
gerated form a definite school of opinion. Naturally,
having the privilege of meeting an Abb6, who was in a
unique position to know the feelings of his flock, I
pressed him to tell me frankly his views of the present
political situation in Alsace. He said in effect : —

“ Alsace has many points of resemblance to Irdand
as it was during the Home Rule controversy. Religion
is at the basis of most of our agitations, and Herriot

100 A WAYFABJER IN ALSACE

was extremely unwise and tactless to^ excite our
religious passions. In spite of this anti-clericalism,
I am convinced that in my part of the country, which
is largely rural, on a direct plebiscite, a large majority of
my parishioners would vote imhesitatingly for France.
The extra taxation, of which some complain, is not
really serious, and is fully compensated for by the
social benefits received in exchange. Still, the French
Government will have to possess much suvoif fuits
if they do not wish to offend our rather delicate
susceptibilities/'

CHAPTER X
COLMAR

“ The world is full of Woodmen who expel
Love’s gentle Dryads from the haunts, of life.

And vex the nightingales in every dell.”

Shelley

T here is a legend that Colmar was founded
by Hercules, and therefore his club has its place
on the Municipal Arms. Coming to a less shadowy
period, it is an historical fact that a French King
established a Royal Farm there, and that after the
town had been captured by the Swedes during the
Thirty Years War, it came into the possession of
Louis XIII. Turenne's victory at Turckheim in 1675
confirmed Colmar’s possession by France. After the
war of 1870, it was persistently pro-French in spite
of persecution, and the citizens of Colmar showed by
the rapturous welcome given to the French troops
who entered the town on 18 November, 1918, how
deep was their devotion to France.

It is an old town of 42,000 inhabitants, but industrial
factories and workshops are gradually taking the
place of more ancient buildings, and those who enter
Colmar by road have to pass through a hard commercial
shell before the picturesque kernel within is reached.

101

102 A WAYFAIIER IN ALSACE

Colmar still possesses, however, many ancient streets
which presorve their old Alsatian character. As no
plan has been thought out in advance, there is a
charming irregularity about the older parts of the
town, where houses differ in design and in height,
and where the streets wind about with sharp turnings
that make progress in a car impossible at a rate faster
than six miles an hour. The unexpected turns, the
overhanging gables, the wooden balconies, the low
doors, the rich sculptures on the houses that belonged
to wealthy merchants of bygone generations, the
towers, and the belfries, each add their own particular
beauty to the town.

The inevitable Avenue of the Republic, the Avenues
of Ra3;mond Poincare, of Libert^, and of Joffre, the
statue to General Rapp, one of Napoleon’s leading
soldiers, and of Admiral Bruart, are silent witnesses
to the past associations of the town with French
history.

Like other Alsatian towns, Colmar is a place in
which it is necessary to browse in order to extract
its full flavour, but the artist will discover, if he takes
his time, beauty spots equal to some of the renowned
sights of Italy.

The Petite Venise, for example, is one of these,
for the houses hang over a stream known as the
Lauch, and pathways for pedestrians form the quays.
In the evening, instead of gondolas, flat-bottomed
boats may be seen full of vegetables for sale in the
Colmar market, moving silently along, propelled by
peasants using rustic punt-poles.

The Customs House that was built in 1480 is another
of the town’s curiosities, with its picturesqtte windows
on the first story and a quaint balustrade, and inside

* VENETIAN ’ SCENE AT COLMAR

COLMAR

108

a fine collection of armour. This part of the town
reminds the wayfarer of Nuremberg, for there are
a large number of houses still surviving that might
well form a stage setting for the Meistersinger.

The Cathedral, built in 1234 on the site of an old
church, possesses its own special beauty, being con-
structed of a sandstone that is particularly warm in
colour, now that it has mellowed with age. In the
choir may be found the celebrated picture by Martin
Shongauer, " The Virgin with the Rose Bush ”, that
the Germans restored under pressure in October 1919,
after they had taken it away to Munich at the end of
the war.

The Museum of Colmar, another historic building,
occupies the doisters and some of the rooms of an
ancient Dominican convent. The former guest-house
has been converted into a theatre, while a number of
interesting pictures and precious souvenirs of old
Alsace are preserved in the Museum. Many of these
came from a convent that was situated some mileS
away at the entrance to the valley of Guebwiller.
This convent was in the eighteenth century one of the
wealthiest in Christendom, and visited by pilgrims
from all parts of Europe. But the Revolution was
merciless, and throughout the southern part of Alsace
churches and monasteries were destroyed and plun-
dered, induding this convent. On the twenty-fourth
venddniaire of the year III — to use the revolutionary
almanac — ^there was a change of policy, and the
local authorities of the Colmar district ordered two
of their citizens to search for all possible art treasures
and bring them to the National Library. Their report
may still be read, and proves with what zeal and
expert knowledge they carried out their mission. They

104 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

e35)ressed their sorrow in this report at the destruction
of an immense number of ecclesiastical pictures and
statues by the revolutionary fanatics.

Fortunately they discovered, however, the cele-
brated altar screen of Isemheim, a painting ascribed
to Mathias Grumweld, which is now to be seen in
the Museum, and is one of the greatest artistic
curiosities of Alsace. The altar screen has folding
panels which have paintings of the Crucifixion on the
outside. Within are pictures of the Temptation of
St. Anthony, who is surrounded by curious beings
with animal heads, very like those that figure in
some of the early paintings of Diirer, and an extremely
dignified picture of the Visit of St. Anthony to St. Paul
the Hermit. The reason of the fife of St. Anthony
being commemorated in this way is because the
convent belonged to the order of Antonites that
was founded in France at the end of the eleventh
centinry for the care of persons who were stricken by
the curious epidemic called at that time the Fire of
St. Anthony,

A century ago the paintings on the altar screen were
attributed to Albert Durer. Then a painter called
Grem was said to be responsible, and now to-day
Grumweld. But whoever may be the artist, certainly
this is one of the most tragic representations of the
Crucifixion that has ever been painted. An interesting
theory attributes the painting to Italian influence,
and a local scholar whose book may be found in the
library of the town suggests that the Abbot of the
monastery, during its reconstruction in the year 1500,
sent to Italy for an Italian painter, who proceeded
to decorate the chinch in a style learnt from the
Italian Renaissance, but using Alsatian peasants for

COLMAR

105

his models. Andr 4 Hallays thus describes this altar
screen : “By the mixture of mysticism and realism,
the splendour, the dramatic and supernatural light in
which the master of Isemheim wraps his visions,
the paintings of the Convent of the Antonites remain
a unique work of art, at least the only known one,
of an artist \riio had not his equal in any time, or in
any coimtry.”

A story, worthy of the pen of Sir Walter Scott,
concerns the executioner of Cohnar, which I discovered
recently in an old French diary. The writer there
describes the excitement in Colmar over the arrest
and imprisonment on 7 May, 1777, of the public
executioner, who was charged with being absent
without leave.

As his defence revealed such a mysterious episode,
it is little wonder that it was the main topic of con-
versation at the time, and therefore was written down
in the diary of the Baronne of Oberkirch. This lady
spent her early life in a chateau at Schweighausen,
on the road between Colmar and Belfort about a league
from Cemay, which was close to “ No Man’s Land ’’
during the war, and her diary is one of the principal
sources of the local history of Alsace in the twenty
years before the French Revolution. This is the
story she tells of the man’s defence : —

The executioner explained to the judges at his
trial that one evening at the end of April he was alone
at home, for his wife and servants had gone out, and
was busy with the professional duty of mending his
handcuffs, when there was a knock at the door. He
was surprised, for he received few visitors, as, except
for the servants of the law, no one usually approached
such an accursed house as that of the Headsman.

106

A WAYFAEER IN ALSACE

But he opened the door, and saw three men with
mantles wrapped round them standing there, while a
coach that had stopped some distance away surrounded
by some five other men was slowly coming nearer. The
executioner saw all that, and was certainly astonished,
but not in the least frightened.

“ Are you the public executioner ? ” asked one of
the strangers.

" Yes, Monsieur."

" Are you alone ? We wish to speak to you on a
very secret matter.”

"lam quite alone. Enter, Messieurs.”

He thought that they had been sent by some
neighbouring municipality who wished to employ
him, and made way so that they could enter. But
he had hardly finished speaking when they threw
themselves upon him, gagged his mouth, and quickly
tied his arms and legs, so as to prevent him from
making the least movement. They then carried him
into the coach, which they entered with him, and
slammed the door. The escort sprang to their horses,
and the whole party galloped away. All kept per-
fectly silent until they had left the town, and then
the man who had already spoken touched the arm
of the executioner.

" Listen,” he said, " there is no need to have any
fear. No harm will come to you. You have been
taken away so as to fulfil an act of justice. We
answer for your safety provided you do not try to
escape, and also provided that you do not try to learn
what you must not know. No one of us will reply
to any of your questions, but we shall give you all
that you need. When your task is completed, you
will be taken back to your home, and in addition you

COLMAR 107

will receive 200 gold louis as compensation for the
interference with your work.”

The executioner felt relieved, although he was
by no means at his ease, but at any rate it was some-
thing to know that they did not wish to take his life.
He would have been more comfortable, however, if
they could have given him the use of his limbs and
his tongue. He was glad, therefore, to hear the
same voice say some time later : —

“ We are now going to loosen the bonds on your
arms and legs, and to take the gag out of your mouth.
During the night we shah, take the bandage from off
your eyes, but during the day it will be replaced.
We only do this on condition that you obey all our
orders, and that you do not speak a word. If
you make the least sound you axe dead ! Do you
consent ? ”

He felt the rims of two pistols and the point of a
dagger against his chest, and he had no alternative
but to agree, and when they had ungagged him,
he swore with every possible oath not to break in
any way the proposed pact and to accept the con-
ditions.

" Good. You have now nothing to fear,” said
his captors.

After that not a word more was spoken. The
coach went on quickly, for fresh horses were waiting
at the posting stations, and there was no delay. The
blinds of the coach were down during the whole of
the day, and the bandage was not removed from
his eyes. When he even tried to raise it, he felt the
pistols at his side. Except for this, he was treated
well. Good food and good wine were carried in plenty,
and he had his share with the others. When it was

108 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

necessary to halt, this was done always in some forest
or in some desolate spot where he could not recognize
anything, but he thought that they had crossed the
Rhine and were going into the mountains.

On the evening of the second day they stopped at
a gateway. He heard a portcullis creak and a
drawbridge descend into position. Then from the
reverberation of the wheels he guessed that they were
crossing over a very deep moat. The horses turned
into a courtyard, and two men holding the execu-
tioner by each arm forced him to leave the coach,
when he heard on the ground near him a noise Uke
that of halberds or the butt end of muskets. As he
hesitated, the unknown voice said : —

" Let me lead you. Remember your promise, and
we will keep ours.”

He thought that he entered into a great hall, and
went through several vaulted corridors, tmtH he was
guided into an immense room, where his bandage
was taken off. He found himsdf in a hall himg with
black from the roof to the floor and badly lit by a
few torches. Some men dressed as judges were
seated at one end, but the light was so poor that
although they wore no masks it was impossible to
distinguish their features.

Hardly had he entered when a veiled woman was
brought in through a door at the other end. She
was tall, slender, and certainly young, wearing a
robe of velvet of the violet colour worn by nuns,
which completely covered her. She stood motionless
at the end of the hall, with her arms hidden in the
sleeves of her robe, and holding her head high. The
man who presided rose.

“ We have sent for you ”, said he, speaking in

COLMAR

109

German, which the executioner, like all Alsatians,
understood, in spite of the difference of dialect, “ to
execute the sentence passed upon this woman. The
punishment must be as secret as the crime for which
it has been awarded. You must do your duty. You
must cut off the head of this creature, who cannot
be touched by any human laws, but is nevertheless
guilty of an unpardonable crime.”

The executioner was an honest man. He executed
his office on the order of the Colmar magistrates
after he had received the proper documents signed
and delivered by the King’s agents, bearing the seal
of the town and the fleur-de-lis. But it was another
thing to kill on authority that he was not able
to recognize, and at the order of strangers whose
faces were unknown to him. He therefore bravely
answered : —

“ I will not do it.”

The condemned woman stood there without any
movement, as if his reply had no interest for her
whatsoever.

" You promised to obey ”, repeated the voice of
the man who had brought him there, " and you will
have to submit to our vengeance if you do not fulfil
your word.”

"I am not an assassin. Monsieur ”, he replied.
" I cannot accept your command, and I will not
touch a hair of this lady’s head. Besides, what evil
has she done ? ”

The man who acted as President consulted his
colleagues, and then rose up quickly and cried out in
a loud voice : —

“ You ask what this woman has done ? lam goii^
to tdl you, and then your hair will start up in horror

110

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

on your head. After that you will not hesitate any
longer to become the instrument of justice. After
that . . .”

“Enough”, interrupted the woman, holding her
arms to him. “ Enough. You may put me to death,
but you cannot, you ought not to, reveal to a man
like this what your ears have heard. If I am guilty,
punish me. I submit, although it is more than you
have a right to expect.”

There was silence after that, interrupted only by
the tolling of a great clock outside, which sounded
eleven o’clock.

“There is not a moment to lose,” said the
President. They offered the executioner a very large
and sha^ sword.

“ No ”, repeated the man from Colmar. " No,
do it yourselves. As you have passed the sentence
without authority, so it is for you to carry it into
execution.”

The victim stood motionless, and the first man spoke
again.

“ Do you wish to preserve your life ? ”

“ Certainly I do, for the sake of my wife and my
little girl, who would have no support in the world
if I was not with them.”

“ Then make your choice. When the clock sounds
the quarter, if this woman has not been decapitated
at your hand, you will be shot, and I myself will puU
the trigger.”

“ Why do you not kill her, then, if you are so ready
to become a murderer ? ”

The President seemed to tremble under his long robe
and evaded the question. “ It is for you to choose,”
he continued.

COLMAR

111

The executioner had resisted up to now with all
his power, but he began to be frightened, although
he was a brave roan, for the judge’s attitude was
terrifying. There was silence in the room while he
had to decide between committing a crime or his own
death.

He tried to pray. He called on the Virgin and
the Saints, for he was a Catholic, and again said : —

" Kill me, if you wish. I will not obey you.”

" There are just ten minutes more for you to make
up your mind ”, said the judge coldly. The silence
continued, broken only by the sound of the clock
measuring out the life of one of them. When the
quarter struck the woman did not even move her
head. Then two of the attendants presented the
executioner with the sword, but he shook his head,
and pushed it away from him, not having the strength
to speak. The judge took out his pistol. When
the executioner saw this he exclaimed : —

“ My God ! Do you wish that I should leave in
this world alone a widow and an orfjhan ? ”

Thcin, faced with the crisis, he gave way at last, and
with a sob he exclaimed : —

" I agree ! I agree ! ”

He took the sword and touched it with his
thumb so as to make sure that it was really
sharp. He took two steps forward, but the con-
demned woman stood upright and would not even
kneel.

“ Do you not wish to see a priest ? " said he, as the
sudden idea of effecting a dday struck him.

“ Do ypur duty ”, said the President, “ and do not
concern yoursdf with other matters.”

“ I cannot do it without this lady being boimd.''

112 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

" Tie the hands of this woman ”, said the inflexible
voice of the judge.

Two men advanced, upon whom she turned with
great dignity.

“ Do you dare to touch me ? ”

They stopped at this, but the President motioned
them to obey, and a few moments later the woman
was tied down with her head on a block. Her veil
was raised so as to expose her neck, and she did not
attempt to resist.

The executioner raised the sword, and struck a
blow with so much violence that the head was severed
from the body. He then let the sword drop, and
this man of iron, accustomed to blood, swooned away
by the side of the victim whom he had sacrificed.

When he came to himself he was again shut in the
coach, which was on its return journey, with a bandage
over his eyes, and covered with a cloak that hid his
stained clothing.

“ Here is your fee ”, said the man who had led him
there, “ and we have doubled it because you are an
honest man.”

On the evening of the fourth day he was back
again home, where he found his wife in a state of
great anxiety and the magistrates furious at his
absence.

The story is written here following closely the deposi-
tions that were made at Strasbourg for the information
of the representative of the King, but in spite of
inquiry nothing more was learnt. The incident as
told in a contemporary document is illuminating as'
Rowing the state of civilization that existed in
Central Europe a few years before the French Revolu-
tion.

COLMAR

113

I wish that I could have added a climax to this
story in the approved style of the short-story writers,
hut I am writing truth, so far as it can be gathered,
and not fiction, and therefore there is no ddnouement
of a mysterious episode that has never been explained.

CHAPTER XI
IN THE VOSGES

“ To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran ;

And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man/"

Wordsworth

I T is said that in 1673 Louis XIV, on arriving at
a hill in the Vosges from which he was able to look
down on the plain of Alsace stretched before him in
the sunshine, rich with crops, vines and fruit-trees,
exclaimed, '' Certainly this is the Garden of France !
Those who wish to appreciate the beauties of
Alsace would be well advised to tear themselves away
from the attractions of her capital city and make
their way to some of the quaint villages on the
slopes of the Vosges. The majority of these are
easily accessible either by train or by the special
char-^-banc service provided by the railway, which
makes good use of the magnificent new roads that run
on both sides of the Vosges. This picturesque country,
so full of memories of the war, has since the Armistice
been opened to the motor-car, and now the hill-tops
and forests are easily accessible to visitors by routes
that I give in detail in the final chapter of this book.

114

IN THE VOSGES

115

Over a hundred miles of new motoring roads have
been constructed in the last ten years. On these
can be reached the highest point of the Vosges, the
Ballon de Guebwiller, on the very top of which is
placed the monument to the Chasseurs Alpins, the
“ Blue Devils ” as they were called by the German
Army. From this view-point can be enjoyed a pano-
rama over the plain to the Black Forest, or down into
the picturesque valley of Thann, or as far as the
Jura and the Alps.

The holiday maker should not miss a visit to the
little town of Riquewihr, which lies not far from
Ribeauville, close to the main line from Strasbourg to
Mulhouse. If ever this town is discovered by artists
it win become as famous as Rothenburg in Bavaria,
or as Ypres was in Flanders before the war. For
Riquewihr is one of the few remaining places in Europe
where the houses and streets remain to-day unchanged
since the time of the Renaissance. Almost every
house bears the date of the sixteenth century and
possesses balconies and carved portals. The streets
are poorly drained, and the double walls and gates
remind the traveller of the savage Middle Ages. In
those days the village was wealthy and the inhabi-
tants had to be prepared to defend themselves from
bands of marauders who came down from the hills
to plunder.

The townsfolk depend on their viaeyards, where a
delicately flavoured white gmpe is cultivated, from
which is produced the “ Reishng ”, the hghtest and
the freshest wine of Alsace. In the early summer the
men return home after tending the vines, looking as
if they had stepped out of a sixteenth-century picture.
On their backs are strapped metal cans in which are

116 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

carried a chemical mixture for spra3dng on to the
vine, and incidentaily bespattering with green the
men’s clothes and faces.

Although Riquewihr is the centre for the vines,
there are many other towns and villages in this part
of the Vosges that richly repay a visit. One of these
is Munster.

To the world Munster is rhainly known by its cheese,
which is regarded as a special delicacy throughout
Alsace, but it is a trifle strong for English taste.
The town is at the foot of the Vosges, and at one time
possessed special privileges and a Republican Con-
stitution.

Her liberties were assailed by jealous neighbouring
towns, and history relates a series of peity wars between
Munster and Cohnar. The struggles of the past
appear to have made an impression on the people of
the present, and Munster to-day contains a large
proportion of Protestants, who maintain their religious
beliefs with a tenacity that marks them as different to
the inhabitants of other towns.

During the war Munster was very close to the front
line, and the valley of the Fecht was the scene of
violent fighting in 1914 and 1915. One unfortunate
consequence has been the destruction of some of the
more beautiful old houses in Munster, and the building
of hotels and shops of a modem style that clash with
the old town, but offer many facilities to the tourists
on their way to excursions into the Vosges, notably
up to Le Petit Ballon, and to the Terrace of Napoleon,
a celebrated beauty spot in the mountains.

There are many routes to Munster, all of which
are beautiful. One excursion runs through the valley
of Heidenbach, where a walk may be enjoyed that

IN THE VOSGES

iir

was one of the favourites of Voltaire when he lived
in Alsace, from August 1753 to November 1754.
It wiU be remembered that he quarrelled with the
Emperor Frederick, and had to surrender to Potsdam
his keys as Chamberlain and all his decorations.
After this break with Germany he considered the
possibility of making friends with France, and decided
that Alsace would form a convenient half-way house,
and also a quiet place where he might write a history
of Germany, and thus fulfil a promise that he had
made to the Duchess of Gotha. He had also business
interests at Riquewihr, as nearly twenty years before
he had lent large sums to the Duke of Wiirtemberg
on the security of certain vineyards in that dis-
trict. He therefore decided to be on the spot, and
after staying for a few days at Luttenbach, he settled
in humble lodgings at Colmar in a house in the
Rue des Juifs that has now been converted into a
chemist’s shop. There, in spite of his sufferings from
gout, he worked unceasingly at his book, and actually
finished the history, which is not regarded as one
of the best of his historical works, and also the
drama Orphelins de la Ghine. After that he left
Alsace and went to Lyons, eventually settling in
Switzerland.

Before the war historical societies at Colmar and
Munster were proud of the local coimection with
Voltaire. But since the Armistice most Alsatians
have been too occupied with the work of reconstruc-
tion to have time for inquiries into the biography
of an eighteenth-century . writer. For whether you
take a road north, south, or west of Munster, you
will discover how the war has ravaged the district,
in which many of the little villages like Stosswihr and

118

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Soultzeren were almost completely destroyed. Unlike
the poor and cheap houses that have been erected
in many other parts of France, the new houses that
have been built since 1919 on the Vosges are solid
and in good taste. Local architects wisely are keeping
to the old Alsatian type of roof, with high gables,
which keep the interior of the home cool during the
summer heat, and from off which the snow slides
easily during the winter.

One of the most popular excursions from Munster
is to Hohneck, along a road from which a succession
of long distance views can be obtained, passing by
waterfalls, streams, and through fir forests. Early
in the summer the white anemones and the yellow
cowslips, which grow in profusion in the fields, add
much to the beauty of this walk.

Not far from Hohneck is the Chiteau Hartmann,
where Napoleon III of France used to stay, and where
later the Kaiser was a visitor. This house imfortu-
nately suffered seriously during the war. In this
region there are several lakes — the Lac Vert, over a
thousand metres above sea-level, the Lac Blanc, and
the Lac Noir. In some lights these lakes look so
dark and deep that it is difficult to imagine why
they were ever christened green or white. The
Lac de Longemer, that can be seen on the
road between Hohneck and G^rardmer, which lies
in a little valley surrounded by trees, is much more
green than the lakes that can be seen higher up in
the lulls.

As I motored and walked to several of the little
towns snuggling under the Vosges, I became more and
more impressed with the fact that Alsace is a patch-
work of different civilizations and historical periods.

IN THE VOSGES

119

This is markedly noticeable in the town of St. Marie-
aux-Mines, which is situated at the bottom of the
valley of the Liepvrette below the Vosges. In the
Mid(Ue Ages this river formed the frontier, and one side
belonged to Alsace and the other to Lorraine. The
inhabitants on the right bank spoke German, those
on the left bank French, the stream, which is certainly
not as large as the Isis, dividing two peoples who in
religion, manners, and even costmne, were entirely
different, and remained so until the end of the
eighteenth century, when the place was formed into
one commune and the two distinct populations began
to mingle and intermarry.

The traveller must not expect to find mines there,
in spite of the name. In the ninth century there were
silver, copper, arsenic, and lead mines, and when the
Wars of the Roses were occup3dng the attention of
the English, great blocks of silver were discovered,
reputed to be the largest in the world. To-day,
however, the chief occupation of the inhabitants
is in the spinning irdlls. The manufacture of cotton
goods was introduced from Mulhouse in 1764 and
developed rapidly. At the present time the town
resembles in some respects a mixture of Bath and
Bolton ; the hills have some similarity to the slopes
of the Cotswolds; while the nulls are as efficiently
managed and are as well equipped with modem textile
machinery as any in Lancashire. There is a spacious
swimming bath, no less than three hospitals, a children’s
hospital, and numerous welfare centres and dispen-
saries, partly supported by the town and partly by
local business interests.

Turckheim is another old town between Colmar
and the Vosges. It is one of the ten free towns that

120

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

won their freedom during the thirteenth and four-
teenth centuries by constant resistance to the barons
and the bishops. The other nine who by force of
arms became free axe Colmar, Mulhouse, Munster,
Kayserburg, Selestat, Obemai, Rosheim, Haguenau,
and Wissembourg. But although they won municipal
liberty, they continued to fight amongst one another.
Turckheim would probably have left no mark upon
the pages of history if it had not been the scene of a
celebrated battle gained by Turenne when it was at war
with Colmar, a town so near at hand that to-day a
resident of Turckheim would think nothing of nmning
in on his car to Colmar in order to listen to the band
in the square in the evening, and enjoy an ice at one
of the gay restaurants with which this little town
abounds.

In 1675 there was a celebrated battle at Turckheim,
and the Imperial Army were forced to retreat in
disorder to the other side of the Rhine, leaving
sixteen hundred dead behind them. Hansi in his
amusing history of Alsace depicts the withdrawal
of the troops carrying away clocks and household
furniture in the manner later copied by the ex-Crown
Prince.

To-day it is a town of under three thousand
inhabitants, with ancient fortifications, a quaint
hotel known as the Three Keys, and gateways, sur-
mounted with storks’ nests, that cannot have changed
much since the days when Turenne and his troops
passed underneath. The town is dominated by a
biU, the summit of which is reached by a stairway
of more than four hundred steps, on which there was
at one time a chapel that was destroyed by the
Germans in 1914,

OLD GATEWAY AT TURCKHEIM

IN THE VOSGES

121

The visitor while in Turckheitn should certainly
try the local wine known as the “ Blood of the Turk
It is so-called because of its colour, and is much appre-
ciated by experts.

The town is on a branch line that leads to the
Trois Epis, which is one of the holiday resorts of
the Alsatians, and therefore is mainly composed of
hotels which are occupied by visitors in the winter
as well as in the smnmer. For the village is situated
690 metres above sea-level, in the midst of spacious
pine forests, with views overlooking valleys and bills
for miles away, and from which there are many
excursions. Winter sports can be enjoyed in the
neighbourhood.

Trois Epis is also visited by pilgrkns, for it is
believed that the Virgin appeared to an inhabitant
at the end of the fifteenth century, and this vision
is commemorated by a convent and chapel that have
been built here.

During the early part of the war the village was
the scene of fierce fighting between German troops and
a French infantry battalion. The story is still told
of a French sharpshooter who himself shot twenty-
eight Germans before he and his comrades were
forced to retire. After that retreat this part of Alsace
was held firmly in the occupation of the Kaiser until
after the Armistice.

A little to the south Metz 4 ral is reached, a village
that was in the line, and was practically destroyed
during the war. But to-day new buildings have
arisen out of the ruins, and it is a centre for those
who wish to visit the surroimding battlefields or make
a pilgrimage to the cemeteries.

It is well that visitors should be warned in advance

122

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

not to expect, except in quiet backwaters in the
Vosges, to see many native costumes. On special
fStes the picturesque native dress is worn by a few
of the peasants, but in daily life unfortunately they
prefer knitted jumpers. Small children are sometimes
dressed in it for church on Sunday mornings, but
only on special occasions, such as the visit of the
President of the French Republic, are brought out
of the family wardrobes various examples of the
many varieties of dress.

Girls from the village of Geispolsheim wear a red
dress and an apron of white lace, a silk bodice and a
beautiful neckerchief thrown over their shoulders,
which, with a scarlet headdress, forms a striking
picture. Quite a different costume is worn in the
outskirts of Obernai, chiefly in the communes of
Krautergersheim and Meistratzheim. This is com-
pleted by a headdress of gold or silver material in
the shape of a helmet, bordered with fine lace which
encircles the head like a halo. At Oberseebach, a
t3q)ical village in the Bas-Rhin, the women on ffite
days wear a black dress, and a far from becoming
bonnet on their heads. Here the men wear the most
picturesque dress — the large hat of olden days, the
full short coat, and the grey trousers with a black
band, which were the traditional costume of the people.
A scarlet skirt and a headdress with large black sflk
wings are the well-known features of the most tj^pical
costume, but the colour of the skirt varies according
to the religious denomination of the wearer, red for
Catholics and green for Protestants.

These costumes can still be bought in the little
shops of these small towns, and a girl's dress
bought five years ago has proved to be a delightful

IN THE VOSGES 128

souvenir of Alsace at children’s fancy-dress dances in
England.

For those who are fond of walking and have a taste
for archaeology, Kayserberg is a good centre. It is
on a slope of the Vosges, 242 metres above sea-level,
and is surrounded with vineyards and forests. It is
the chief town in the canton, and contains some
2,650 inhabitants. The history of this region dates
from Roman days, for after the conquest of Gaul
by Julius Caesar, who drove back the German troops
to the other side of the Rhine, a castle was built here,
to serve as a watch-tower, and also to protect the road
that came from Vieux-Brisac and went on to Toul,
crossing over the hills. On the same site stand to-day
the remains of a diiteau whose broken ruins can be
seen projecting among the branches of the vines.
This belonged up to the twelfth century to the Seigneurs
of Horbourg, but in 1227 it was bought by Henri VII
aind fortified. Under his protection a little town
was established, which in 1293 was given the rank of
a military town by the Emperor Adolphus of Nassau.
Among the 20,000 documents that are now carefully
preserved in the Town Hall, after being cata-
logued by the local Archaeological Society, there is
preserved a map that bears witness to Ms Imperial
patronage.

In 1345 Kayserberg contained the official residence
of the Emperor’s representative. Later, during the
Thirty Years War, the chfiteau was besieged by the
Swedes, and afterwards fell almost completely into
ruins, which in 1899 became State property, and are
therefore well cared for.

The following sonnet written by Marc Lenossos
happily expresses its quaint atmosphere : —

124

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

" Grace aux portails romans on gothiques, dat^s,

Sous I’encorbellement des balcons centenaires,

Le pofete, evoquant Time des vieilles pierres,

S’exalte k chaque pas dans I’antique Cit 4 .

Le donjon cr^nel^, du temps des Ribeaupierre,
Subsiste parmi les vignobles reput6s
Et le chemin de ronde ou s’agrippe le Uerre
Semble enserrer la ville, k la faire 6clater.

Partout, le Temps Jadis a laissd son empreinte :

Sur les pignons, dans I’eglise aux sculptures peintes,
Au grand Christ douloureux, profond^ment humain.

Dans I’ossuaire oh la poussi^re s'amoncelle,

A la Mairie aussi, sur les chartes que scellent
Des sceaux de cire vierge, au bas des parchemins.”

The main street presents a succession of picturesque
gable ends. The Town Hall dates from 1604, and is
in the Renaissance style, with an inscription to
denote that this was the official headquarters of the
Emperor’s representative. Upon the door may be
seen the escutcheon of the town with this pious
inscription : —

" Que Dieu prot&ge I’entree et la sortie ;

Qu’il soit loud et remercid k jamais.”

The parish church was built at different epochs.
The doorway dates from 1227. The two transepts
and the choir were built in Gothic style during the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. There is a curious
group of sculpture in stone dating from 1514.

ERBERG

IN THE VOSGES 125

The tower was constructed in 1827 of materials
taken by the French out of the fortifications of the
town.

The townsfolk are rightly proud of the many old
houses which have remained unchanged for centuries.
The original builders of these seem to have had a
waggish turn, for there are many humorous inscrip-
tions over the doorways. In the main street No. 16,
for example, has the foUowing inscription : —

" Junges Blut spar dein Gut :

Armut im alter wehe tut.”

“ Sois 4conome dans ta jeunesse :

Pauvret^ fait mal dans la vieiUesse.”

The fountain of water, built in the Renaissance
style in 1618, has an inscription giving characteristic
advice that was popular in a country where good wine
is cheap. The ancient words of the inscription may
be thus translated : —

“ When drinking water with your meals you chill
your stomach. I advise you to drink in moderation
a mild old wine and leave me at rest in my fountain.”

On another delightful old house, dated 1592, where
a very curious little, museum has been established
by the Archaeological Society, an inscription may be
found which hais thus been turned into French : —

“ Les ronces et les opines piquent fort,

Les mauvaises langues davantage,

C’est pourquoi j’aimerai mieux tomber entre les
ronces

Que d’avoir k faire k de mauvaises langues.”

126

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

It is surprising how few artists from England have
yet discovered this untouched town, where the Middle
Ages seem still to linger, and where craftsmen of past
ages have allied with Mother Nature to make a place
of charm and beauty.

CHAPTER XII

BY THE RHINE

" Malgr6 tous les efforts d'un si^cle philosopliiqtie, les
empires les plus civilises seront toujours aussi pr^s de la
barbaric que le fer le plus poli Test de la rouille/L

Rivarol

O NE of the most usual questions which a traveller
is asked on his return from a journey in Alsace
is, '' Did you find the Alsatians anxious to return to
the more efficient administration of Germany ?

I can only say that in spite of making every effort
to talk with all sorts and conditions of men and
women in the recovered province, I could find no
trace whatsoever of any wish on the part of any
member of the community to have any further personal
experience of German bureaucracy. It is true that
there are many complaints against certain aspects of
French administration, notably high taxation, too
many officials and anti-clericalism, but the following
conversation is typical.

Answering the obvious question as to the difference
between the conditions of life under Berlin and under
Paris, my friend said : —

" We are free to-day. Up to 1918 we lived in a
state of 3emi-slavery, governed by Prussians who had

128 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

not the same sense of humour as we Alsatians. So
many of our little jokes were completely misunder-
stood. There was a Swiss at Mulhouse who one
evening imbibed a little too freely, and insisted on
the band in the caf6 where he was enjo3dng himself
pla3dng the ‘Marseillaise’. For that demonstration
the machinery of the law was put in motion, and the
whole department suffered.

“The Kaiser made a great fuss of the fact that
Alsatian Deputies took their place in the Imperial
Parliament, the Reichstag. Several of these Deputies,
however, objected strongly to a large picture hung
above the seat of the President, representing WiUiam I,
Bismarck and Moltke riding on the battlefield of Sedan,
while in the front of the pictme there was depicted
a German soldier carefully laying down a French flag
so that the war-horse of the Emperor could trample
on it. After protest this was removed. This was one
insult that caused a good deal of exasperation among
those Deputies who had never made any secret of their
pro-French creed. But some of us business folk had ’
many bones to pick. As you know. Monsieur, I am
a wine-grower, with vineyards above Riquewihr, and
our association found that our vintages from the
Vosges, that are known to have a wonderful bouquet,
were not being sold in Germany, and that wines from
the Rhine and the Moselle were being pushed on every ’
opportunity. A few of us decided that we would
invite members of the Reichstag to a reception to
taste our wine, and we placed at their diq>osal no
less than 1,500 bottles. On the tables the bottles,
with their gold helmets, were drawn up in thirty-
two different battalions, as there were indeed thirty- *
two different vintages. We also provided music. The

BY THE RHINE

129

function started at 8 p.m., and was attended by the
Chancellor, the Secretary of State, members of the
Federal Council, and the Deputies of all the groups,
regardless of any partisan feelings. In all there were
about 300 persons. They continued steadily drinldng
until four o’clock in the morning, when 1,400 bottles
were emptied. As the wines contained between 10 and
II per cent, of alcohol, miracles of good feeling were
produced. Socialists hobnobbed with Princes, and
Deputies in the early hours of the morning could be
seen tenderly embracing trees on their way home in their
efforts to stand up. In fact, the reception was a great
success, but it did not bring about a single order
either from those present or from the restaurant
keepers of Berlin. We need the French to appreciate
our wines !

“ Apart from business we had a good deal of trouble
tmder Germans because they gave so little oppor-
tunity to our young men to attain the higher positions.
In 1904 the Minister of War from Berlin issued a
regulation that 50 per cent, of the small official posts
in Alsace-Lorraine were to be reserved for non-com-
missioned officers belonging to other confederated
States. The object of this was in order to colonize
Alsace with those of German race, but actually it
meant that our young men had little chance to rise
in the civil service.

" It was the same in the Army. Naturally all our
young men were subject to conscription. In 1871 the
mere threat of military service in the German Army
led to the emigration of thousands of lads. For forty
years after, in many Alsatian families, as soon as the
sons came of military age it was the rule that they
should stop in France in the French Army, although

F

180 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

it meant that in all probability the Germans would
refuse them passports to re-enter. My nephew, who
joined the French Army in 1912, on a given day of
the year used to stand in a certain spot on the French
side of the frontier where he could be seen by his
mother, who had never met him since he joined up.
During the war there were in the French Army no
fewer than 150 Generals on active service who were
natives of Alsace-Lorraine and had been given their
chance in France.

“ In certain cases, however, special efforts were made
to win over Alsatians, as in the well-known case of a
M. Gunzert, an Alsatian who allowed himself to be made
a magistrate and was given numerous decorations;
but as soon as he allowed himself to become chairman
of a committee to support the raising of a monument
to the memory of French soldiers who fell in 1870,
he found himself suspected and insulted. At last,
weary of German regime, he declared, ‘ It is impossible
to be on good terms with these brutes.’

" You must remember that there were different
periods during the years of annexation, and that for
some years up to 1894 there existed what was known
at the time as ' The cemetery peace,’ due to per-
secution. Then, after that, the Alsatians became
conscious of their rights, and there was a continuous
agitation in the annexed provinces. Berlin retaliated,
and actually at one time Alsatian tradesmen were
forbidden- to sell scent or tobacco or other goods with
French labels upon them. Secret police reports an d
black lists were in force. During this period one or
two newspapers and certain caricaturists like Hansi
lost no opportunity of pointing out the difference
between the customs and habits of Alsatians and

BY THE RHINE

181

Germans. They were forbidden to proclaim ‘ Long
live France and therefore devoted their energies to
repeating ‘ Down with German kultur

" I can give you many other examples of the
oppression to which we were subjected up to 1918,
but this may show you. Monsieur, something of what
we had to put up with. Now we are free — free to
express ourselves, and free to criticize Paris if we
think fit. The fact that we do speak out is a smre
proof of our present liberty.”

The outlook for the future may be illustrated by
another conversation that took place on the banks of
the Rhine.

There is a pontoon bridge across the Rhine some
fifteen miles south of Strasbourg. This was built by
the Germans in 1916 in order to enable them to bring
up reinforcements and supplies for their armies in
the Vosges. Those who sit for an hour or two on the
left bank waiting for the centre boats to be swtmg
into position will learn a good deal more about the
real state of mind of those who live on the frontier
than is possible in London or in Paris. The delay
is due to the fact that owing to the rapidity of the
river at this point the bridge is only available for
traffic at intervals in the morning and evening, for
the boats would be quickly swept out of position if
they were exposed continuously to the full force of
the stream. Accordingly, during the greater part of
the day and all night the central portion is left
open, and the boats are only moved by means of
wire hawsers into their place when the traffic has
accumulated.

As a coixsequence there may often be found at this
spot individuals from all parts of Alsace waiting to

182 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

cross over. Their conversations are a revelation of
the fears and hopes of those who have to live in a
frontier land, and who have, I find, very little faith
in Leagues of Nations or in Pacts.

'' The Bosch — he has not altered at nil ”, said the
fanner who was waiting to go over. "I see him every
day. At heart he is the same as ever. We in France
are peaceful people, but militarism impregnates all
those who live on the other side.”

The English inquirer asked blandly, “ But surely
Germany is bankrupt ? Her marks have depreciated,
and she is ruined. At least that is what we are told
in London.”

The Alsatians sitting on the bench, or l3dng on the
grass, chuckled, and the Customs officer, whose duty
it is to try to prevent smuggling at this peaceful spot,
smiled broadly as he said, “ If you think Germany is
ruined. Monsieur, will you kindly explain to me how
she has afforded to pay for that Customs house
opposite on the right bank ? Look at its size, its
solidity, its magnificence — a s5nnbol of the might of
the German Republic, yet it has been erected in the
past few months.”

We looked across the swirling turgid river and saw
on the other side a new building which might have
been a town hall, with walls coloured a brilliant yellow,
and roofed with tiles of discordant reds. This blot
on the landscape had been erected below the ruins
of a picturesque castle, where picnic parties of
prosperous German tourists could be seen taking their
ease. Not far away from the Customs house was a
beer garden, well patronized.

“ You cannot say, Monsieur”, continued the ofBcer,

“ that there is any lack of wealth over there.- Take

BY THE RHINE

183

my field-glasses and see for yourself how comfortable
they are sitting enjo 5 dng their beer. While we here —
why, there is not even a caf4 within a kilometre!
Look at our Customs house behind you — ^how small,
how unpretentious, how modest 1 Yet even so small
a building, commenced some six months before that
Bosch monstrosity, cannot be finished because there
is no money. The credits from Paris are exhausted,
and we who have to watch here day and night have
to live kilometres away, and have to cycle to and fro
every day.”

A man, who, judging from his luggage, was a com-
mercial traveller, here joined in the conversation.
" Yes, yes, and I tell you that scene yonder is
characteristic. I have to travel a good deal in
Germany, and I assure you that they are developing
their railways and equipping their factories in a way
that would be impossible in a ruined country. For
myself, I do not fear the Germans as militarists, but
as our commercial competitors. If only they had not
been led away by the war party in 1914 , Heaven help
our trade to-day 1 ”

The Englishman pricked up his ears at this, sa 3 dng,
” I am glad to hear you say that. I am afraid we
are often very ignorant in London, but we certainly
had an idea that on the whole Alsace was dealt with
very kindly by the German Government. What is
the truth ? ”

All the Alsatians sitting round protested. ” Kindly I ”
said the fisherman. ” I live at Mulhouse, where
I work in a cotton null, and have come here for
my holiday. Let me tell you what happened to
some friends of mine. The French troops during
the first days of the war succeeded in obtaining a

134

A WAYFAEER IN ALSACE

footing in some of the suburbs of Mulhouse, but
unfortunately they soon had to retire. On the
9th of August two sections of German infantry came
back again to my part of the town. They flogged
certain men and women whom they suspected of
having been too friendly to the French troops. But
this was only the raising of the curtain, for five days
later they dragged out a friend of mine, a M. Schott,
his family and his servants. They accused them of
having fired from a window on the troops, and without
delay shot several of the men. After that they
compelled the women-folk and the children to look
at the corpses as they lay covered with blood in order
that the sight should never be forgotten. Do you
think we can ever forget that kind of treatment ? ”
“There are endless other examples of a similar
kind,” concluded the angler. The business man
nodded his head, observing courteously to the English-
man, “ You probably never heard of the executions
and the barbaric ill-treatment given to Alsatians,
especially in those parts of Alsace where the French
troops were at first victorious. But this was only
carrying out the aggressive policy that the German
Government had adopted after 1909, as soon as they
realized that there was strong recrudescence of pro-
French feeling. Why, Hansi, the artist, was con-
demned to three months’ imprisonment because he
burnt a lump of sugar in a caf6 where the name of
Lieutenant Forstner had just been mentioned, in order
to purify the air. You will remember, Monsieur, the
name of Forstner in connection with the Zabem
affair ? ”

“ Let me see ”, replied the Englishman. “ Zabem
is the town that is now Saveme. I have a kind of

BY THE RHINE

185

vague memory of reading something about the
truculence of a German officer before the war. What
happened ? ”

“ In October 1913 there was a sub-lieutenant of
twenty years of age called the Baron von Forstner ”,
explained the business man. “He offered a reward
of ten marks to any German soldier in the barracks
who would hurt one of the Alsatian recruits, whom
he nicknamed ‘ Wackes or ‘ cowards '. The offer
quickly became known throughout the town, and the
small boys, who in Alsace as elsewhere are gifted with
malicious wit, made insulting remarks about Lieutenant
Forstner as he passed in the street. They also shouted
to each other, ' What are you worth ? ’ and the other
would reply, ‘ About ten marks, according to him
pointing contemptuously at the Lieutenant, and other
personal and insulting jibes. This raillery was too
much for the German officers, who in order to protect
Forstner against the insults of the people sent him
out under the escort of eight privates. Feeling ran
high, and the Colonel of the regiment decided as a
precautionary measure to serve out ball cartridges to
the troops. Forthwith a very trivial affair became
serious as the news of the whole matter spread.
Questions were asked in the Reichstag as to what
was to be done to protect Alsatian recruits against
German officers, and in reply General von Falkenhayn
in a tactless speech defended Forstner and attacked
Alsace. But in Saveme itself the gamins regarded
it as a new kind of game to make fun of the German
officers, and the grown-ups looked on. In retaliation
one evening the Colonel arrested twenty-nine persons
and imprisoned them for the night in a damp cellar
imder the barracks. The following day strong com-

186 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

plaints were made to the local magistrates against
this high-handed proceeding, and when they pro-
tested, four of the magistrates were arrested by the
soldiers. Thus the whole question became a com-
plication between the German civil and military
authorities, and for several days in the Reichstag
Bethmann-HoUweg had to make out the best case
he could in reply ; but he took care that Forstner
and the 99th Regiment of Infantry should be ordered
to leave Saveme. Unfortunately, as they were
marching away, in a village about eight kilometres off,
a cripple made some insulting remark to Forstner,
who immediately drew out his sword and injured the
man seriously. Eventually there was a court martial,
but both the Colonel and Forstner were let off. The
whole affair led to a political crisis, the resignation
of the local Government at Strasbourg, and the
introduction of more Prussian ofl&cials.

" This instance proved the mentality of Germany
towards us at the outbreak of the war, and we do not
quickly forget it.”

" I am most interested to hear the whole story ”,
said the Englishman ; " but surely things have altered
since the war ? ”

“ I can only say that all the information received
from my friends on the other side of the Rhine goes
to show that we cannot be sure that Germany is no
longer manufacturing guns and ammunition secretly,
and is not under the guise of so-called police continuing
to train military troops. We here feel that in twenty
or thirty years they may again try to grab this rich
land. I agree with Senator TaufBieb, that France
must be in a position to prevent a new war at all
costs, and only by maintaining our right arm strong

BY THE RHINE

137

can we hope to convince Germany on the other side
of that river of the folly of their hopes of revenge.”

I give this conversation, although it has rather a
savage note. It echoes, however, the sentiments of
many with whom I spoke, and who find it difficult
to forget their injuries, even if they are ready to
forgive their enemies,

While travelling in Alsace, that is full of these war
memories and heavy with suspicions for the future,
it is impossible not to long in all sincerity that the
statesmen of Europe will in this generation carry
through some means of terminating this deep-seated
feud between Teuton and Gaul. The agreement
reached at Locarno has a repercussion upon Alsace,
for tmder the Western Pact the Reich, not under
compulsion as at Versailles, but of its own initiative,
has finally conceded Alsace-Lorraine to the French
Republic. It has been well said that morally this
renunciation was difficult, but practically it repre-
sented sound sense. All who know Germany or
France to-day will hope that such a settlement will
be accepted in the spirit as well as in the letter by the
rising generations in both countries, so that England,
France and Germany may co-operate for a European
Renaissance.

CHAPTER XIII

MULHOUSE

" Wha does the utmost that he can
Will whyles do mair.”

Burns

T o the traveller who has only a few hours to
spare, Mulhouse is certainly the least attractive
town in Alsace. Even when I saw it in 1917 from
a French observation post on the Vosges, the town
was smothered in a cloud of smoke as thick as that
which daily hangs over the industrial towns of South
Lancashire. When after the war I walked along its
streets with the rain beating down, passing by the
shops, that looked rather depressing and shabby, my
fellow wa5darer and I said in the same breath, “ How
like Wigan 1 ” The Lancashire colliery town may be
rather insulted by the comparison, for some of her
shops that cater for a Lancashire population are far
more pretentious than those of Mulhouse.

This first impression of an important industrial
town that has a population of over 100,000 is natural,
for in every coimtry the Industrial Revolution, bringing
with it smoke and grime and the extremes of wealth
and poverty, has too often blotted out beauty. A

MULHOUSE

189

commercial town is apt to wear its own particular
dingy uniform whatever the nationality.

But if the visitor looks below the surface, and searches
in by-ways, he will quickly find that Mulhouse is in
truth one of the most interesting places in Europe.
It dates from 717 b.c., when a miU on an island first
began to be surroimded by a few houses. Out of
such small beginnings has grown a business centre
that rivab Lancashire in the quality of its textile
manufactures and is one of om most serious com-
petitors in continental markets.

In the eleventh century the little island community
had grown to be so wealthy that the Bishops of
Strasbourg were envious, and wished to acquire it as
one of their possessions. But the inhabitants were as
pugnacious then as they proved to be after 1870,
during the forty-four years of German occupation, and
by the thirteenth century Mulhouse was fortified, had
received the title of an Imperial Town, and had won
special privileges. Eventually in the fifteenth century
the attacks of the Armagnacs and of the soldiers of
Charles the Bold, followed by the constant attempts
of local nobles to gain possession of the wealth of the
town, compelled the citizens to look for support
dsewhere, and they turned to Switzerland, which was
the neighbouring country only a few miles away.
Mulhouse accordingly became part of the Swiss
Confederation, and agreed to supply recruits for the
French kings on the same basis of population as the
other Swiss Cantons.

After the Revolution Mulhouse solemnly voted to
be attached to France. Such names as those of
Samuel Koechlin, Jean DoUfus, and Jacques Schmaltzer
are well known in the world’s history of the textile

140

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

industry. They experimented in the art of printing
designs on cotton, and the exhibits of some of the
mills that they founded over a century ago, shown at
the Exhibition of Decorative Art in Paris in 1925,
prove that for rich colouring and original design their
products are now among the foremost in the world.
To-day the Art Schools in Mulhouse have reached a
very high standard of efficiency.

There is a museum in which there are some good
examples of modem French art, and a few ancient
buildings still survive ; but the Town Hall, built in
1552 and decorated with curious mural paintings, is
the only one of any serious importance. Occasional
romantic towers still raising their heads above the
remains of a fourteenth-century rampart, and a few
narrow twisting streets, are all that remain of the
past. Mulhouse to-day in its outskirts presents a
good iIlustra,tion of efficient town planning for which
we have to thank the Germans, but also there is,
imfortunately, one atrociously massive Protestant
church buUt under Teutonic influence. During the
alliance with Switzerland, Protestantism gained a firm
hold in Mulhouse. Montaigne stayed there at the
end of the sixteenth century, and in the memoirs
left by his secretary there is a note about the town,
describing it as " a pretty little Swiss town in the
Canton of Bale ”. He describes a visit to a church
from which the altars and images had been removed
"in order to suit the new religious faith of the
people ” !

The whole character of the inhabitants is strongly
independent. They are republican and democratic,
with a certain tolerance towards other faiths and
political beliefs. But all the modem life of the place

MULHOUSE

141

centres round the textile industry, which was founded
by men who learnt spinning and weaving in Swiss
factories, in some cases from Huguenots who fled
away from France after the Edict of Nantes. Swiss
bankers lent the capital for establishing Mulhouse’s
industrial fortunes, while Napoleon I opened out to
these pioneers the markets of Europe. They seized
these in many cases from English firms who were
unable to dehver the goods overseas owing to the
continental blockade. As the demand grew, spinning
and weaving mills increased in number, in spite of
the fact that the town was so far away from sea-
ports and from Paris, the principal marketing centre
of Europe. At that time there was no canal from the
Rhone to the Rhine and no railways, but in spite
of all these handicaps local manufacturers banded
together in order to keep customers whom they had
won during the unrest of the Napoleonic wars. Out
of funds to which each firm subscribed, schools were
founded, laboratories were opened, and scientific
research in all directions was encouraged. During
those days the Art School of Design, the Chemistry
School, and Schools for Spinning and Weaving were
established Not content vn-th these direct methods
of educating those who were working, or in the future
would be employed, 'in local mills, these far-sighted
manufacturers decided to found a museum and a
picture gallery. In the one was collected the furniture,
flags, portraits, china, pottery, and costumes of the
country, while in the other typical paintings of con-
temporary French artists were exhibited. In this way
they raised the whole intellectual standard of Mulhouse,
whose exports continued to increase in spite of natural
difficulties.

142 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Tkose who are inclined to be pessimistic over the
present state of post-war indusixy might well learn
something from studying how the captains of industry
in Mulhouse set to work to establish their fortunes
at a time when Napoleon Bonaparte was marching
to and fro across Europe, and how they had the
foresight to recognize that by spending money on
research and equipment they would be able to gain
a footing and to keep a hold in new markets.

After the Napoleonic wars these men founded the
Industrial Association of Mulhouse with the object
of fostering and consolidating the welfare, the health,
and the education of the working people of the town.
In spite of constant interference by the German
administration after 1871, the Society continued its
work, and it is remarkable to remember that during
the forty-four years of occupation the monthly bulletins
were always published in French, and that thfe language
alone was used at the meetings and lectures of the
Association.

After the war it redoubled its activity, and to-day
there are over a thousand members. Among other'
institutions that were actually created, or are now
carried on under its direction, are the school of
chemistry, the school of weaving and spuming, a
commercial school that was opened in 1920, the school
for those who have to undertake supervision in the
mines, and also a technical school for apprentices.
The needs of the girls of the town are not forgotten
either, and there is a special school for those who wish
to earn their own living at shorthand, typewriting,
design or decoration.

There are in all five museums established by this
Society, for industrial design, pictures, natural history.

MULHOUSE

148

historical records, and technology. In addition to
the housing schemes and dispensaries that may be
found to-day in almost any progressive industrial
community, there are several novel institutions. One
of these is called “ Bric-a-brac ”. Here old clothes,
furniture, and other oddments are sold at a low price
to persons in need. This continuous jumble sale
brings in a steady annual income that is used to support
various benevolent funds in the city.

There is good reason to believe that national
insurance, introduced into Great Britain by Mr. Lloyd
George, had its birth in Mulhouse, and not in Germany.
For in the year 1850 these same employers formed
funds to which they themselves subscribed, and to
which their employees contributed regularly, out of
which weekly pa3nnents were given to those who were
iU or who met with an accident. After the occupation
of Alsace by Germany this organization was quickly
copied and extended, and to-day it is proudly claimed
that Mulhouse was the birthplace of the insurance
system that now exists in Great Britain, in Portugal,
Italy, Poland, Roumania, Luxembourg, Sweden and
Japan. France herself has been so much impressed by
the good results of the Alsatian system that it is to
be extended throughout the whole country.

An amusing indication of the interest in England
shown by the people in Mulhouse was found in a
copy of a local newspaper that I bought at the railway
station. On a back page there were two columns
giving a fair translation of Jane Eyre, ascribed to
“ Currer Bell There was no mention of Charlotte
Bronte's authorship, nor an explanation of her identity
with " Currer Bell

In Mulhouse and the surrounding district there are

144 A WAYPARBR IN ALSACE

many points of analogy with Lancashire, for great
cotton mills and textile factories for wool and silk
are numerous, and around them cluster the subsidiary
textile iadustries, such as dyeing and printing.
Lancashire is in fact united by many ties of both
interest and friendship with this part of Alsace. One,
for example, at Kingersheim, near Mulhouse, was
founded in 1900 by an English company, for bleaching,
dyeing and glazing. During the war the factory was
put under special German authority as English
property, and continued to work until 1917, when the
German authorities said that it was necessary, in
order to protect the machinery, to remove the engines
and the greater part of the equipment to the right
bank of the Ehine. Fortunately in this case it was
possible to regain a large part of the apparatus after
the war.

Another interesting part of Mulhouse that may
easily escape the notice of the chance visitor is the,
scheme for working-men’s houses in the suburbs of
the town. Over seventy years ago a local manu-
facturer, Jean DoUfus, to whom I have already
referred, first had the idea of a workman’s city, and
in the north of the town may be found houses which
at the tune set a standard unknown in any other part,
of Europe, for there was a garden to each house, and
central baths and bakeries were built near at hand.
The open lay-out, so dear to the heart of Dr. Rajrmond
Unwin and modern town-planners, was adopted there
in the middle of the Victorian era.

The managing director of a group of mills in MuIhous%
told me that in his opinion Great Britain had threej
methods before her if she was to recover her trade!*
prosperity. First she must modernize her equipment,

MULHOUSE

145

in old-fashioned miUs ; secondly, increase the number
of hours worked ; and thirdly, British trade unionists
should persuade their international “ comrades ” to
adhere to decisions made with great pomp and cere-
mony at International Congresses !

He explained that in his group of mills hours of
labour had been nominally fixed, after the leaders of
local trade unions were supposed to have met the
labour leaders of the textile industry in Lancashire,
but he added :

“ No one here would dream of keeping to an eight-
hour day. The workpeople themselves would be the
first to object, as it would mean reducing their weekly
earnings. From the management point of view we
naturally find that by keeping our textile machinery
at work for longer hours we reduce our overhead
charges, and therefore axe able to undercut you in
the markets of the world that you formerly held. I
know from my visits to Bolton and Rochdale that in
some cases the equipment is out of date, but we could
not possibly hope to maintain our present prosperity
if we had to keep expensive machinery running on
comparatively short hours. The sooner your work-
people realize this, the better for your trade. In my case,
if I were a Labour leader, I should suggest a crusade
in Belgium and France and Germany in order to try
and convert our workpeople to carrying out British
conditions of labour.”

The mill manager laughed and continued :

" If your MacDonalds and Snowdens would spend
a few days in our mills instead of imagining that
they -understand foreign conditions because they make
speeches and are applauded at International Congresses,
there would be more hope of your workpeople realizing

146 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

what they are against in an impoverished Europe
facing world competition.”

I suggested to him that already a section of the
Lahom: Party in England had expressed themselves
publicly in favour of some form of protection in order
to keep out goods manufactured under sweated con-
ditions. He replied :

" I am glad that at last they are showing that much
sense, but if you will allow me to say so, speaking as
a man who has spent his life manufacturing flannel,
I think in England in some of your establishments
your methods are those of the Victorian era. I have
met, for example, mill managers and others who do
not appreciate how in this country we have harnessed
the water power in order to provide cheap electricity
to work our mills.”

After this conversation I went into a shop and
inspected some flannel. It was possible (even allowing
for the present rate of exchange) to buy retail a piece
of flannel at a lower price than Lancashire manu-
facturers are able to obtain for selling it wholesale to
shipping agents in the city.

The travdler in search of beauty, after reading this
chapter, will probably give Mulhouse a wide berth.
If he is interested, however, in social questions, and
in the relation of modem industry to the conditions
of the manual labourer and the skilled artisan, he
will find this city a mint of ideas.

It must not be assumed, moreover, that Mulhouse
is simply devoted to making money. The lighter side
of art is encouraged, and apparently all the mando-
hnists of Europe gathered there about the time I
visited the town in order to take part in a concours
of mandolins ! The gourmet can also be sure of first-

MULHOUSE Uf

class cooking, for the commercial men who visit
Mulhouse demand the best of food and drink.

But personally I was not at all sorry to see Mulhouse
and its smoke left behind as we made oiu: way westwards
towards Thann, with all its memories and its picturesque
setting in the Vosges.

CHAPTER XIV
AROUND THANN

'? Cette verri^re a vu dames et hauts barons
Etincelants d'azur, d'or, de flamme et de nacre,

Incliner, sous la dextre auguste qui consacre,

L'orgueil de leurs cimiers et de leurs chaperons ;

Lorsqu'ils allaient, au bruit du cor ou des clairons,

Ayant le glaive au poing, le gerfaut ou le sacre.

Vers la plaine ou le bois, Byzance ou Saint- Jean d^Acre,
Partir pour la croisade ou le vol des h6rons.

Aujourd’hui, les seigneurs auprds des chatelaines,

Avec le levrier k leurs longues poulaines, ,

S'allongent aux carreaux de marbre blanc et noir ;

Ils gisent 1^ sans voix, sans geste et sans ouie,

Et de leurs yeux de pierre ils regardent sans voir
La rose du vitrail tou jours 6panouie/’

Heredia

T HANN is a little town in the south-west of
Alsace lying under a fold of the Vosges, It
still seems to be numbed by its war experiences, as
the streets are uncannily quiet and the inhabitants
subdued. It is not generally realized how severely
this part of France suffered. There are 220 cemeteries,
with 16,000 graves in the Department of the Haut-

74S

AROUND THANN

149

Rhin alone, and Thann was the centre of ferocious
fighting, signs of which are only too visible still around
Cemay, where some of the trenches — ^seven years
after — are not yet filled up. It wiU be remembered
that the two armies of Lorraine, under Generals
Castelnau and Dubail, tried to carry war into the
enemy's country early in August 1914, and that this
movement was covered by operations starting from
Belfort in the direction of Mulhouse and the Rhine.
Cemay and Thann were reached without difficulty.
The Germans retreated from Mulhouse towards the
forest of Harth without even leaving outposts in
front of the town.

During this period certain of the French troops
advanced, while they fought, as much as fifty-five
kilometres in one day ; but the German General Staff
was quickly informed by spies as well as through
intelligence received from the air service that the
number of French soldiers was very small indeed,
and they ordered up reinforcements, who, in the
counter-attack, drove back the French to a line in
front of Cernay. During this early period of the
fighting there are many instances that are stiU vividly
remembered of German brutality shown to the Alsatian
inhabitants.

But the French High Command, possibly too much
influenced by sentiment, decided to attack again, and
an Army of Alsace was formed. To this was given
the task, not only of recapturing the land that was lost,
but also of retaining as many of the German troops as
possible in the district, and so preparing eventually for
an offensive towards the Rhine. By the i8th of August
much of the land given up had been regained, and
fighting even took place in the streets of Dorns^ch,

150 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

The French continued to be victorious, and captured
3,000 prisoners and 24 guns, but the events in the
north of France and in the Ardennes, where nothing
apparently could stop the advancing tide of the
German Army, unfortunately made it necessary to
withdraw the Army of Alsace, in order that the troops
should be available to take part in the battle of the
Marne, and so save Paris from capture. Therefore
they departed, abandoning almost the whole of Alsace,
with the exception of a strip including Thann and
other small towns and villages.

In the winter trench warfare commenced along
the lines that may still be followed, crossing the ridges
of some of the highest hills in the Vosges, by the
crest of the Grand Ballon of GuebwiUer, then down
into the valley of Thann, and passing between Danne-
marie and Altkirch, until the trenches finally came to
an end on the Swiss frontier.

The most dangerous spot was on the summit of
Hartmannswillerkopf. Both sides were desperately
anxious to retain this natural observatory. One
December night in 1914 a section of the Chasseurs under
Lieutenant Canavy was here surrounded by German
troops. A brigade advanced to their rescue, but the
snow was deep, the winter days all too short, and as
enemy barbed wire had already been placed in position
among the woods, the French artillery were only able
to move forward very slowly. For four days and
nights the bugle call of the surrounded men could be
heard in the distance faintly blowing like Rowland's
horn. But on the morning of the fourth day it was
heard no longer. The lieutenant in command was
dead, and out of twenty-eight men only twelve sur-
vived, to whom the Germans allowed the well-deserved

AROUND THANN 151

honour of keeping their rifles and marching away to
a prison camp not disarmed.

The French decided to avenge their loss and to
retake the crest, although conditions for fighting in
mid-winter on the top of a mountain on which there
were no roads would appear to be beyond human
endurance. Guns were dragged up by bullocks, and
many of the troops used skis in order to attack.
After seventy-five days of continued fighting, four
battalions of infantry of the Chasseurs Alpins had
defeated ten German infantry regiments and two
dismounted cavalry regiments, and so obtained
possession of the Hartmann.

When I reached this tragic spot in 1917 the whole of
the peak of the mountain for many yards around was
bare of trees. Every section of the roads leading through
the woods that might possibly be exposed to the view
of enemy sharp-shooters or observers in balloons was
skilfully camouflaged by canvas screens covered with
branches of trees. The troops lived in wooden huts
roughly constructed of timber cut down in the forest,
and thus, except for the white peak, this mountain
from a distance seemed to be covered with peaceful
forests. But under cover of the trees an almost
incessant activity and conflict raged.

Down in Thann, although it was very close to the
front line, there was a curious calm. Many of the
houses were injured in the early fighting, but after
that both sides took care not to injure too much the
towns on the other side of the line. The Germans,
hoping that Thann before long would be regained,
carefully instructed those in command of their
batteries that not a shell was to fall within its
precincts, whUe the French, buoyed up by similar

152 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

hopes, gave exactly the same orders with regard to
Mulhouse and other centres. As a consequence Thann,
which if it had been in the British zone would have
been evacuated years before, and by 1917 would have
been in the same state of ruins as Ypres, which in
point of fact was farther away from the front line than
Thann, was almost untouched by war. The inhabitants
carried on their usual occupations.

One of the principal citizens kindly offered to
entertain me in his house, where I much appreciated
the luxury of sleeping between sheets and having
an electric lamp by my bedside. As we enjoyed a
nightcap of sweet syrup in his library before turning
in, he said, “ Should there be any shelling during the
night, if you make your way through this door, you
will reach the cellars, where you will find a bed waiting
for you. I have made arrangements for sleeping
accommodation for all my household close to my wine
cellars, which are many feet below the surface, and
are well protected. But we have had no shell
fire here for many months, and therefore I
trust, that your rest will be undisturbed.” The next
morning when I went out to the line I discovered
that it was almost as close as Hell Fire Comer to
Vlamertinghe.

I often saw in French dugouts in the line, or nailed
up in their wooden huts, a drawing of an Alsatian
girl in the arms of a French soldier. On the ground
beside them was a fallen frontier post marked with
the words Deutsches Reich. The artist, M. Georges
Scott, wrote underneath the drawing the one word
Enfin, which summed up exactly the strong passion
of these early days. That was over seven years ago,
^d we all would forget those sad days. Let the story

AROUND THANN 158

of one of the post-war generation illustrate how a
young Alsatian views life as it is to-day.

Andr4 is now twenty-five years of age. He spends
his days in a store in a picturesque old town in
southern Alsace, where an Englishman is stiU so much
of a novelty that the inhabitants turn round to look
at one when he happens to arrive. Judge then of our
surprise on entering a china store in this town where
the English are so rare to find that Andrd, who
served us, could speak comprehensible English,
although his opportunities of practice were extremely
limited. He explained that he had been at school
when the war started, and that his German teachers
immediately stopped teaching any French, and
increased the number of hours per week devoted to
the study of English. He was reluctant to say much
about the sufferings of his family during the war.

Andre’s face lit up when he spoke of the change
to French administration. After the Armistice some
open ground near the fortifications that stiH exist
round part of the town was given over to football,
a game at which he rapidly became adept. When his
time came for service in the French Army his reputation
as a footballer was widespread in the district, and
eventually, to the great joy of his friends, he was
selected to play for the French Army against the
British Army in London. He spoke with the utmost
warmth of his visit to England, and was prepared to
take any amount of trouble in order to show kind-
ness to his English customers. We spent an hour
and a half selecting china, painted with delightful
Alsatian pictures. When the question arose of packing
a dinner set and carr 3 dng it back to England, he
said that not long ago he had packed a crate full

164 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

and sent it to Singapore, where it had arrived without
a single plate being broken. It was then late in the
day, but he declared that as he was always up soon
after five in the morning he would be delighted to
carry the crate rotmd on his back to the house where
we were stajdng, and deliver it before eight a.m., so
as to be in time for an early start. These details
may be trivial, but his readiness to work and to oblige
are characteristic.

Within an easy motor run from Thann is Guebwiller,
a busy industxid town set on the banks of the Lauch
at the entry to a valley leading into the Vosges. Like
the neighbouring towns, once upon a time it was
fortified, and was the scene of numerous combats
during the pugnacious Middle Ages,

The inhabitants possess initiative and originality,
and after the French Revolution they decided to give
up fighting with swords and muskets and devote
themselves to the arts of peace and moneymaking.
This industrial prosperity commenced at the very
beginning of the nineteenth century, for a silk mill
was founded there in 1804 and a cotton mili in 1808.
The place became more and more prosperous until
1870, when after the Treaty of Frankfort the mill-
owners had to reorganize their mills and look out for
new customers. They were successful in their search,
and on the whole industry prospered.

After the Armistice the sons and grandsons of the
men who in 1870 had continued to manage their
businesses so successfully set to work to build up
again on the ruins, and to-day some of the mills in
the district are as well equipped, as efficiently managed,
and as well served by workmen who are prepared to
work long hours, as any in the world. Electricity

AROUND THANN

155

has been pressed into the service of reconstruction,
and the majority of the factories, many of the potash
mines, and almost all the streets are served by
electricity, manufactured centrally. The current from
this electrical station is utilized not only in the mills
but on the farms, and even in the vineyards for
pressing out the grapes.

The town itself is not so interesting as some of the
more unspoilt villages in the Vosges, although there
are several ancient churches and curious sixteenth-
century houses. Three churches in particular have
an architectural interest. The Church of the
Dominicans was built in the fourteenth century on the
same plan as the Dominican Church at Colmar. It
has been converted into a HaUe, where vegetables
and fish are sold by day and concerts given at night.
The frescoes that once were painted on the walls
have been unfortunately allowed to perish without
apparently any care being taken for their preserva-
tion. The Church of St. L^ger was built in the twelfth
century in Roman style with three towers. The third
church is of a much later date, built some time in
the late eighteenth century by the Abbot of Murbach,
in the style of architecture known as Jesuit, and thus
in their three churches the natives of Guebwiller can
study three different styles of ecclesiastical architecture.

Along the road to Guebwiller are a number of
beauty spots, among them being the waterfalls of
Kaltenbach and the ruins of the ChfLteau of Freund-
stein. Many stories are told about this chateau, some
of which have become legendary and find a place in
‘ local ballads. One is sufficiently curious to be worth
repeating, using some of the phrases in which it was
told in a book two hundred years ago.

156 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

A certain noble chieftain, by name Geroldseck, was
desperately in love with the daughter of Waldner,
who lived in the Chateau of Freundstein. She loved,
however, one of her father’s pages, a child of the
family of Ribeaupierre, who was ignored by his family
on account of the illegitimate birth of his mother.
The Master of Freundstein, while very naturally
objecting to the suggestion that she should marry his
page, was also prepared to allow his daughter to
refuse the offer of Geroldseck. The chief in conse-
quence was furious, and, putting on his heavy armour,
placed himself at the head of his warriors and besieged
Freundstein. The attack was fiercely pressed, and in
spite of the resistance they broke through the outer
walls and drove the garrison into the iimer donjon.

The Lord of Waldner then went to find his daughter.

“ Will you fall into his hands ? ” said he, showing
her the enemy below.

" I would sooner die, my father, a thousand times.”

" Then put on your betrothal veil, come with me,
and show everyone that you know how to die a
Waldner.”

At this supreme moment the young heroine thought
of the page she loved, and of the impossibility of ever
uniting her fate to that of a disinherited and unrecog-
nized child.

" You are right, my father. Let us be worthy of
our ancestors until the end.”

Guessing what he was meditating, she followed him
without hesitation. The time was slipping by. One
moment more and they would fall into the hands of
the conqueror. As the page stood by the old cavalier’s
horse, the young girl held his hand.

” I am going to die so as to remain worthy of our

AROUND THANN

157

love. That is impossible on earth, but we shall meet
above,” she said, as she mounted the horse behind
her father.

" I follow you, madam. My lord and master never
goes without his page.”

Waldner urged his horse up to the slope to the top
of the battlements, and there met the triumphant
Geroldseck,

” Give me your daughter, Waldner ! ” he cried.

“ Here she is ! ” replied the father, and spurred on
his horse. Startled by the sudden pain, it leapt over
the ramparts and the three crashed down, Gerold-
seck, suddenly seized with giddiness at the sight,
dropped his reins and followed her whom he had lost.
Their bodies, smashed in pieces, lay near each other.
The poor page had not been so fortunate, for an
arrow slew him behind his master's horse. So, as the
old chronicle relates, " he reached heaven before his
adored lady ”.

CHAPTER XV

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS

Life holds not an hour that is better to live in : the past
is a tale that is told.

The future a sun-flecked shadow, alive and asleep, with a
blessing in store/'

Swinburne

A s I read some travel books I become more and
more surprised at the bland dogmatism of the
Briton abroad, as he pronounces his judgments upon
a foreign country. I bow in admiration before the
self-confidence that enables some writers to under-
stand a nation with a different language, different
traditions, different outlook, and possibly a different
code of morals and social convention. I find that the
more I study Alsatian history and meet the inhabitants
of this country, the more delicate and difficult is my
task of tr^ng to interpret in the English language
the true significance of all that is happening to-day
between the Rhine and the Vosges. A nation, like an
individual, is complex, and is composed of good and
bad points.

Accordingly, instead of offering dogmatic opinions,

I will give a summary of some conversations on
different topics that are at present agitating Alsace.

158

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS

159

One of the most serious of these questions is that of
taxation, which is intimately bound up in the whole
question of war debts. On the one side there are
some who urge that France is not sufficiently heavily
taxed, and that even the taxes already imposed are
not paid. On this point it may be acknowledged that
French income tax is not collected with the same ruth-
lessly efficient speed which marks the activities of the
collectors of taxes in Great Britain. Critics are apt
to forget that, like most continental countries, France
is more accustomed to indirect rather than to direct
taxes, and that the income tax for which M. Caillaux
was responsible has always been particularly un-
popular among the peasants of France.

Whatever may be the truth as to which is the most
heavily taxed nation in the world, it is certain that
Alsace is carrying far and away the weightiest burden
in France. While recognizing how difficult it is to
make any fair comparison between taxation in
countries that have a different basis of valuation, it
certainly came as a surprise to me to learn that on
the average an Asatian householder living in a
town pays from two and a half to three times more
in local taxation than householders in the rest of
France. An authority on the subject whom I
questioned on this remarkable fact explained the
position to me in the following words : —

“ There are three essential reasons why the financial
needs of the Departments that have been recovered
from Germany are far and away greater than those
of France. There is first the difference of legislation ;
then the difference in municipal conditions; and
finally the expenses of the war. Asace is weighted
down by a museum of legislative measures. Her

160 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Statute Book is a medley of laws compared with
which your E nglish system is mere child’s play. We
have three strata of national laws, those dating from
the era of Napoleon up to 1870 ; those passed in
Berlin ; and those imposed upon us by our local
Parliament. Our local finance is similarly a complex
skein of different forms of contributions. As the years
have passed by and the country has been passed
like a termis-b^ projected over the net from France
to Germany, and then back again, the financial
administration has become more ravelled. I have
read in your English papers something of the
difficulties of your Poor Law system. Well, just as
I understand your system of guardians and outdoor
relief under which there is much overlapping needing
simplif5dng, so our local finances badly need un-
ravelling.

" But the tangle of legislation is not the only reason
why local taxation is heavier in Alsace than in the
other French Departments. Another reason is the
freedom that has always been given to Alsatian
municipalities. An essential of French administration
is the maintenance of large departments of State filled
with small officials, who exercise control and tie
everything up in what you English call ‘ red tape
If you have read any of the stories of Maupassant,
you will know how prominent a part the petty
bureaucrat plays in them. But the cities of Alsace
have been comparatively free from central control.
Financially they have been independent. The larger
their population, the freer they have been.

" The Alsatian councils before the war embarked on
numerous projects. The building of the Port of
Strasbourg, a municipal electric light station at Mul-

WAYSroE CONVERSATIONS

161

house, and many other examples could be given to
illustrate the immense activity of our local authorities
before the war. As a result, only to-day I heard you
speak. Monsieur, of the open lay-out, the clean streets,
the admirable sanitation, the absence of filthy factory
smoke in this city of Strasbourg. We are proud of
our town, and think that France has good reason to
be proud of it too. But at the same time the cost
has been heavy. In some cases the capital necessary
to carry out these public works had to be borrowed,
and now we are pa3dng heavily in interest. There
is to-day an economy wave in consequence passing
over many of our councils which makes them cut
down all uimecessary or fancy expenditure and avoid
an costly new developments. The arrears of debts
in many cases are a burden, and the loans raised
before the war increase the local taxation in a way
that cannot possibly be avoided. There are some of
us who think that the Government of France ought
to bear a large part of the burden of these debts,
for we know that the German Republic has acted
generously to her own municipalities that borrowed
in the past, and find the load almost impossible to
bear to-day. Surely Paris, which has become the
heir of these marvellous assets of Alsace and Lorraine,
will not be less generous than Berlin.

“ The third reason for the heavy taxation of Alsace
is the expense that accrued during the war. There
were many municipal charges that were imposed at
that time either under the inspiration or at the actual
orders of the German Government. We had to raise
special funds for the soldiers. We had to help the
needy. We distributed wines and food at certain
times. Efforts were made to assist expectant mothers

162

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

and to protect infants during the critical period of
the war, so that the new generation should not suffer
too much. These and a hundred other war charges
were forced upon our Alsatian municipalities.

“ Do not think that I am complaining. Far from
it. But I wish you, as an English observer, to know
how we are placed here in Alsace. I know how difficult
it is for France to balance her budget, and that she
has already acted most generously towards this
country. I know how her Exchequer has been
deprived of large amounts of money from those ten
large Departments that were devastated during the
wax, and before 1914 used to pay over one-fifth of
the total taxation levied on the whole country. At
the same time I insist — and in this I am sure I speak
for the majority of thinking persons in Alsace — that
it is essential for our local taxation system to be
reformed. We cannot continue much longer bearing
such an tmequal burden. I of course know that part
of our extra contributions goes towards the social
reform measures that we owe to Germany. We have
a pension system. We have insurance against sickness
and unemplojment. I shall not forget that on this
point M. Alexandre Millerand, the first High Com-
missioner at Strasbourg, stated shortly after he arrived
in that city that there were valuable lessons to be
learned from our social reform system that would
benefit the general legislation of France. We have of
course to pay for such extra benefits as we receive.

" At the same time the present situation cannot be
allowed to continue without doing damage to both
Alsace and to France. The appointment of a Com-
mission, constituted of men who are specially com-
petent to investigate this whole question of the local

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS

168

finance of Alsace, is opportune. They have set to
work upon the problem in a logical fashion, and we
all await the solutions that they will propose in order
to simplify and reduce our local taxation.”

The keen business instinct reflected ia this con-
versation regarding the taxation paid by householders
in Alsace, who hope somewhat vainly to draw on the
purse in Paris for State assistance, is similarly shown
in an amusing talk that I had with a humorous land-
owner. He occupies a comfortable house, and since
his retirement from the Army spends most of the
winter in Paris or on the Riviera, and during the
summer attends to his country estate. He was telling
me something of the keen brain and aptitude for
figures shown by some of the local village people,
and as an illustration told me the foEowing story.
He may of course have been indulging hi the pastime
of trying to pull the leg of an Englishman, for I have
a suspicion that stories on very much the same lines
are told in Provence, but at all events his conversation
has a touch of the wit that is so characteristic of this
country.

“ Ah ! some of the peasants round here are cute
fellows,” he said. "Alphonse, who has a small
holding on the hills up there, when he was a young
man, went before the war to one of the men who
settled upon the land after 1870. This amateur
farmer from Germany was rather pompous, and rather
fancied himself as being able to drive a good bargain.
The peasant, with an ingenuity that should appeal
to any mathematician, had a very simple expression
on his face when he said that he was prepared to hire

164 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

hiroself out at the rate of one grain of wheat for his
work on the first day, but this should be doubled on
the second day, and then doubled on each succeeding
day. The farmer, who was not an arithmetician, and
had apparently no experience of this old problem,
came to the conclusion that he was dealing with a
fool and agreed.

“ At the end of a few weeks he learnt his folly.
For when the grains were counted up even for a few
days’ work it became obvious that the ingenuous
peasant had made a good bargain. If you work out
the sum on the basis that each litre contains 70,000
grains, you will find that this peasant at the end of
about a fortnight had earned one litre of com. At
the end of twenty-three days there was due to him
a sack containing a hundred litres, while at the end
of forty da57s the farmer owed him upwards of four
million sacks I

“ The matter caused a great sensation at the tune,
for a wily lawyer in the district got wind of it, and
brought the peasant’s case before the Juge de Paix.
It was impossible to find a loophole in the contract,
and the farmer was glad to get off by squaring the
peasant with a good round sum.”

Another man who had listened in silence to this
story here broke in, and told us of a similar in-
stance that occurred, so he said, in another part
of Alsace.

“ There was a farmer in my district who went to
market one day with his turkeys, just about Christmas
time. A great deal of red wine was consumed over
ddjeimer, and in the coume of the post-prandial
proceedings the fanner, with a twinkle in his eye,
announced to the company assembled in the restaurant

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS 165

«

that he was ready to sell three turkeys at bargain
prices. He would only charge one centime for the
first toe of the turkey, two centimes for the second,
and so on, doubling the amoimt for each subsequent
toe of the three turkeys.

“ A shopkeeper, scenting a bargain, immediately
closed with the offer. When the calculations as to
payment were made, it was found that each turkey
has twenty-four toes. Accordingly, the price that he
had agreed to pay the farmer came to a total of no
less than 167,522 francs 15 centimes. Amidst roars
of laughter the farmer agreed to let the turkeys go
at a compromise price of 1,000 francs.”

There has been much misrepresentation in certain
quarters as to the attitude of the French adminis-
tration to Alsace. On this point a prominent Alsatian
who has been a member of both the Chamber of
Deputies and of the Senate gave me some valuable
documents.

" By a decree of 21 March, 1919 ”, said he, " a
High Commissioner of the Repubhc at Strasbourg was
created, and on the same day M. Alexandre MUlerand
was appointed to this position. From the first he
made it dear that France would do all m her power
to assist the task of assimilation. Immediately on
his arrival in Strasbourg he declared : ‘ L’ Alsace et
la Lorraine, en rentrant dans le giron de la m^re
patrie, ont compris ce que la France a d 4 pens 6 de ses
ressources et du meilleur de son sang pour arriver au
merveilleux r&ultat. Elies n’oublieront pas qu’elles
ont, comme le reste du pays, k tenir compte des

166 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

int^rfets g6a6raux franQais. Mais il faut prodamer
bien taut que la France n’a pas de souci plus vif que
celui de doimer k leurs d&irs les satisfactions qu’elles
attendent.’

" Quite early during his visit M. Millerand found
himself up against the rdigious question, a problem
that unfortunately continues. The bitter and angry
feelings aroused by any attempts to interfere in schools
in which religious teaching is given are known in
Great Britain, for I have some recollection of reading
extracts from fiery speeches made by your Mr. Lloyd
George attacking Education Acts before the war.
Well, we Alsatians have something in common
with your Scotsmen and Welshmen, and you can
sympathize with us ! Some of us become excited
very easily about the entry of priests or ministers
into schools.

“ The assimilation of the schools of Alsace to the
secularized organizations existing in France is pro-
ceeding slowly, but the Chmch in both Alsace and
Lorraine is still paid out of public funds, and plays
an important part in the control of public elementary
education. The system known as the e'cole inter-
confessionnelle, in which religious education of all
denominations is admitted, is only introduced by local
option.”

Here my informant smiled broadly, and he continued
half in jest, half in earnest : —

" Sometimes I think that no characteristic has more
amply proved that Alsace is French in spirit than
the religious controversy of the last few years. AJsace
is, however, adopting interdenominational education
more readily than Lorraine. The fact that we quarrel
so violently over these matters is really a sign of

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS

167 -

vitality, but at the same time I would not like you
to go away from Alsace under any misapprehen-
sion as to the policy of the central administration.
On this point M. Millerand made the following declara-
tion : —

“ ‘ Vous pouvez avoir I’assurance que je viens ici avec
la ferme volont^ de respecter de la fa9on la plus scrupu-
leuse VOS libert^s et vos institutions religieuses. A I'heure
oil le Parlement souverain aura k determiner, de concert
avec les representants eius de I’Alsace et de la Lorraine,
la condition definitive de ces institutions, le Gouveme-
ment de demain, pas plus que celui d’aujourd’hui,
n'oubliera les services rendus k la France par le clergd.
La France restera toujours le symbole de la justice et de
la liberte. Le President de la Republique, le President
du Conseil, le Marechal Joffre, ont prononce des paroles
garantissant la liberte, les coutumes et les croyances :
cette promesse sera tenue par moi.'

“ Could you wish for a clearer and more definite
statement than that ?

“ Then no doubt you will hear a great deal about
our national system of health insurance. Well, on
that point aU I have to say is that we are proud of
that system, that we intend to keep it, and that there
are good reasons for hoping that the remainder of
France may in time, as her finances improve — and on
that point I have no doubt whatsoever, knowing so
well the industry, the thrift and the keen intelligence
of her fellow countrymen — ^leam from our example
and develop a S5ratem analogous to ours.”

Several times already I have referred to the young
Alsatians' love of sport. In town and country the
boys and young men play football and other games
regularly, while the older men show the t3rpical French
trait of taking long tramps on Sundays accompanied

168

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

by their sporting dogs, and return triumphant if they
have brought down a wild duck or a rabbit.

Apart from the joys of the chase I tried to discover
in Strasbourg what forms of recreation were enjoyed
by the post-war generation, and was surprised to
discover the variety of sporting associations at
Strasbourg. “ The central club provides ”, so a local
resident told me, ” facilities for football, swimming,
tennis, and even basket-ball. There is a strong and
well supported ‘ Football Club de Strasbourg
Rowing is another popular pastime, and the canals,
especially on Sundays, are dotted with figures of men
in highly coloured costumes paddling for dear life in
small canoes. You would be amazed at the energy
shown by the Strasbourgeois, who wields his pad<fi[e
at about three times the speed of the average English-
man in the hottest sun, heedless of dangers of sun-
stroke.

"The Vosges, too, have become a national play-
ground. There is the Club ‘ Alpin Franfais ’, the Club
Vosgien, and an Association happily christened the
‘ Vosges Trotters ’. Even aeroplaning has now its
devotees among the sporting Alsatians. There is an
Aero Club d’ Alsace patronized by those who finrl
even eighty miles an hour in their high-speed cars
along the national roads rather too mild a form of
amusement.

"Athletics in the broadest sense of the word are
increasingly popular amongst the less intellectual
classes. But I think that our French University
students continue to be very much like yom: British
writer, John Stuart MiH, who confessed to a small
dose of ‘ the animal need of physical activity There
is in fact at Strasbourg University no special University

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS

169

athletic club of any kind, and the much vaunted
progress of sport in France has not widely affected
■ the student class.”

When discussing Strasbourg I mentioned the
existence of an English Club in the University. On
the work carried out here, Professor Koszul gave me
some information. I have never met a man more
steeped in English literature and gifted with the power
of apt quotation, with the possible exception of Mr.
C. E. Montague, formerly of the Manchester Guardian,
than Professor Koszul. He knows remote manor
houses in England where there are stored away
manuscripts dating from the sixteenth century, and
his scholarship on English literary matters is pro-
foimd. On the subject of the English Club he said : —

"We have never been able to arrange a definite
programme in advance for our Club, as it depends so
much on the visitors we get. You know our way
of grabbing at the chances which may offer of tapping
all possible ‘ wells of English undefiled ’. Perhaps
American distinguished visitors are more commonly
seen in Strasbourg than the British, and my colleagues
in the Sorbonne tell me that they have a similar
experience m Paris. However, we have been proud
in the five years of our existence to greet in Stras-
bourg Sir James and Lady Frazer, Dr. Stewart, the
' Pascalisant ’ of Cambridge, and Sir Edmund Gosse.
Mr. Rudyard Kipling was at a banquet that was
organized when he was made doctor honoris causa of
this University.

" We have this year quite a number of English
students at the University and a distinguished

170 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Lectrice d’ Anglais, Mrs. Tomlinson, the daughter of
the London University Professor of Philosophy, Mr.
Willdon Carr, I dare say we shall hold our fortnightly
meetings fairly regularly, with English conversation
as a staple article, and occasional lectures or talk on
various subjects, scraps of theatricals, and tit-hits of
English music from William Bird to Lord Berners ! ”

A final conversation deserves to be recorded because
it was given me by a man intimately associated with
the office of the High Commissioner, who was able
to look out on the whole problem of the future of
the country with a balanced and experienced judgment.

" The solution of the many political and economic
problems that lie before Alsace, as in the remainder
of France, depends above all upon harmony between
aU omr citizens. We have imposed peace upon our
enemy, but now we must have both wisdom and
courage to ensure peace among ourselves. We are
each part of a democratic form of government where
public opinion is the mistress. We must raise that
opinion in the truest sense of the word if we are to
maintain the conditions that are most necessary for
France’s prosperity. The Alsatians are a serious,
solid, and common-sense race, very quick to criticize,
but at the same time they know how to listen to
objections in a reasonable way. They are republican
by temperament and by mstinct. It is true that
forty-four years of oppression have made them
extremely susceptible to any suggestion of injustice,
but they are as history has made them. Nevertheless,
the more I have experience of this race the more I
am convinced that in outlook and in spirit they are

WAYSIDE CONVERSATIONS

171

an integral part of the French nation, and that
although miracles cannot be expected in a com-
paratively short space of time, their deep affection for
France wiU enable our present and future difficulties
to be overcome.”

CHAPTER XVI
GOETHE IN ALSACE

Age to age succeeds.

Blowing a noise of tongues and deeds,

A dust of sj?stems and of creeds.”

Tennyson

O NE of the most interesting literary books
recently published on Alsace has been written
by Count Jean de Pange. He is one of the authorities
on Alsace-Lorraine, and in company with his wife
has taken a prominent part in the renaisssmce after
the Armistice of the intellectual and social life of
Strasbourg and Saverne.

The Countess de Pange has many talents, and her
sonnets and poems have been published in various
Anglo-French reviews. Her grandfather was the
Duke de Broglie, who was Prime Minister in 1877,
and had the unique experience of sitting in the French
Academy in company with his own father. She
descends directly from Madame de Stagl and from
General de S^gur. The Count’s home until recently
was a manor house near Saverne, and this has many
literary associations, as Edmond About lived there
for thirteen years.

I am very grateful to Count de Pange for

1T2

GOETHE IN ALSACE

178

allowing me to extract from his book Goethe en
Alsace an account of the stay of the poet at
Strasbourg. The Count’s writings are inspired with
the same outlook as that which is so predominant in
the University of Strasbourg, where Dr. Charlety and
his colleagues teach that, as their place of learning is
at the cross-roads of Central Europe, they must search
diligently to discover the best that may be studied
in the literature, philosophy, and science of both the
Gallic and Teutonic civilizations. The main purpose
of Count de Pange’s study of Goethe is to prove that
he was a " great European ” who knew howto combine
in his writings the culture of Germany and of France.

Strasbourg University, which Goethe entered in 1770,
has always played a prominent part in the mteUectual
life of Europe. At the time of the Reformation the
writings and addresses of the Humanists affected
deeply the religious and artistic development of
Europe as it emerged out of the Middle Ages. In
the latter part of the eighteenth century there was in
progress another Renaissance, and indeed Strasbourg
at that time was regarded as the centre of German
and French culture, drawing to itself the most brilliant
young men of the day. Count de Pange aptly suggests
that Alsace at that time was a kind of Janus, that
had one face turned towards France and the other
towards Germany.

The city of Strasbourg to this day bears many
traces of French influences of that period, and students
of architecture find it a fascinating pastime to wander
about the older parts of the town, and trace in the
planning of the streets and the decoration of the
facades the inspiration of Versailles.

Into such an environment Goethe arrived, anxious

174 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

to complete the studies of French language and
literature that he had commenced at Frankfort
and Leipzig. He found French architecture, arts and
crafts, and even costumes, popular to such an extent
that he combined with the other German students
in order to defend Germanic culture. But it was
impossible for him to live in an atmosphere where the
very form of the stairs, the shape of the rooms, the
designs of the glass and china used on the dinner-
tables, and the pictures bore witness to the work of
the artists who flourished during the reigns of
Louis XIV and XV, without being influenced by his
environment.

Goethe had just been ill, and took a delight during
his convalescence in the cooking, the fiuniture, the
fashions of France. In a letter dated 23 January,
1770, he said that from Strasbourg he was going on
to Paris, evidently regardiog his period in Alsace as
merely being a stepping-stone on the road to the
French capital.

His name; Johannes Wolfgang Goethe, was recorded
on the registers of the University on 18 April, 1770.
He lived for a time with a M. Schlag in a house with
the steep Alsatian roof. There were other persons
living there, who had their ddjeuner and diner together
in a dining-room which was decorated in the style of
Louis XV. At the head of the table was a Dr.
Salzmann, a man of culture, with ample private means,
who exercised considerable influence upon his younger
companions. He had founded in 1760 a Soci^^ des
BeUes Lettres in order to help students to obtain new
books as soon as they were published. The dis-
cussions around the dinner-table often turned on
philosophy, and so Goethe made the acquaintance of-

THE UXIVERSITi' OF STRASBOERG AND THE PASTEUR JrONU:MEKT

GOETHE IN ALSACE

175

the views of Rousseau and other French leaders of
thought. It is interesting to remember that when
Salzmann died over forty years later, in the year
1812, he was described in the funeral oration as
being a “ spiritual brother of Socrates, GeUert, and
F^nelon

The youthful Goethe did not, however, spend all
his time in either philosophical discussion or academic
study. He frequently made excursions into the
mountains, to Ste. Odile, and some of the charming
villages in the Vosges. He walked in the public
gardens of Strasbourg, and in his writings may be
found a description of the Alsatian girls whom he
saw here, wearing their native costumes and short
skirts. About that time Goethe went to a French
barber and had his hair cut in the latest fashion. It
is amusing to note in the description of his dress that
he wore double pairs of stockings in order to protect
himself from the mosquitoes !

Dr. Saltzmann and his friends often used to climb
up the steps leading to the spire of the cathedral.
On the platform half-way up, that is now one of the
favourite resorts of the modem tourist, they used to
sit and enter into literary discussions, and, glass in
hand, salute the sun as it disappeared behind the
Vosges, They had the bad habit of scribbling their
names on the stones, and those of certain of the
friends who took part in a reunion may still be seen.

Goethe was a frequent visitor to the salon of Louise
Koenig, who was a close friend of his sister, and was
engaged to his friend. Herder. Her drawing-room was
the place of meeting of ladies of fashionable French
society, as well as the members of the old city families.
Sometimes there came there the Cardinal de Rohan,

176 A WAYFAEER IN ALSACE

accompanied by Cagliostro. This intellectual company
gave Goethe the opportunity of learning something of
the ways and outlook of French society.

When the Archduchess Marie Antoinette came to
Strasbourg, he enjoyed the festivities and welcome
given in her honour by the authorities. Goethe
described in his letters how he wandered about the
streets in order to see the various buildings illuminated,
and that he was especially impressed with the sight
of the cathedral when lighted up. He wrote strongly,
however, of the tactlessness which allowed the pavilion
where Marie Antoinette was welcomed to be adorned
by tapestries that represented the tragedy of Jason
and Medea, and expressed his disgust at the bad
taste that ^owed a pretty Princess to be greeted by
such a horrible spectacle. For many years afterwards
this imfortunate decoration was remembered in Stras-
bourg, and some declared that it was a bad omen
and a portent of the final tragedy when the unhappy
Queen came to the guillotine.

After this gaiety was finished, Goethe apparently
settled down to his studies. He was successful at his
first examination, and then with a friend made a
tour to some of the towns of Alsace, travelling on
horseback. He visited Saveme and the palatial
chateau of Haut-Barr, and later travelled along the
road of the Pass of Saveme. This is still in existence,
so admirably was it constructed by the engineers of
Louis XV. At Thalsbourg the two companions
climbed over the rocks and walked through the streets
one Sunday on their way through the Vosges to Boux-
willer, and eventually arrived in Lorradne. They
returned by Niederbronn, where for the first time
Goethe, while examining the remains of the old Roman

GOETHE IN ALSACE

177

baths, came in contact with the fascination of
archaeological study. He owned that never before,
either at Frankfort or Leipzig, had he had the oppor-
tunity to examine antiquarian remains. The holiday
makers then came back to Strasbourg, passing through
the great forest of Haguenau.

But all his time was not given either to study or
travel. Alsace no doubt had a permanent influence
upon his mental development, but his love affairs are
of more than sentimental interest, and affected his
writings the remainder of his life.

He seems to have been extremely susceptible. We
know that while he was still a student at Leipzig
he feu in love with the daughter of his landlady, who
apparently had the good sense to realize that as she
was three years older, and he was only at the beginning
of his student's career, she would be wise not to
encourage an affair even with a genius. She therefore
married a local magistrate, and Goethe wrote to her
somewhat bitterly, “ You are for ever worthy of love
as a young girl, and yet you wish to become a woman.
But I, I remain Goethe.”

On arrival in Strasbourg, in order to cany out his
anxiety to be a man of fashion, he took lessons with
a dancing-master who had two daughters, who spoke
only French, and were reputed to be attractive in
appearance and extremely clever partners. After the
lessons in the waltz and the minuet, he stayed on, and
diowed a marked preference for the society of the
younger sister, Emily. The elder sister, in a fit of
jealousy, decided to bring to an end this friendship,
and one day after a lesson, " dressed in a nightgown,
but stUl respectable,” she came on the scene and
hystericaUy addressed Goethe : “ I know that I have

N

178

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

lost you, but at any rate, 0 ray sister, you shall not
possess him any more.”

With that she threw her arms around Goethe and
kissed him several times, crying out : —

“ Now listen to my curse. Misfortune shall befall
the woman who first shall touch these lips after
me ! ”

The whole story is rather reminiscent of " sobstufE ”
at a third-rate music-hall, and it may well be that
this theatrical scene only took place in Goethe’s own
imagination.

But his propensity for love-making certainly proved
to be unfortunate, as was shown in the case of an
Alsatian village girl, Frederica Brion, the daughter of
a pastor of Sesenheim, whom he met in the spring
of 1771. He paid his first visit to this village while
on holiday, and in his enthusiasm declared that
Frederica was the incarnation of the beauty and charm
of Alsace. In his writings may be found a description
of his first impression of the girl, une itoile bien aintc'e.
He wrote that she wore the national costume with
a short white skirt, a white bodice, and an apron of
black taffeta. “ Her neck appeared almost too feeble
for the heavy golden hair of her charming head."
He continues in the same strain, praising her blue eyes
and her pretty nose.

Her father, the Protestant pastor, was a very hos-
pitable man, and Goethe stayed with them some days,
and returned there frequently whenever he wished to
have a change from his University studies. In the
evenings they went out together arm-in-arm by the
light of the moon, and it is surely not fanciful to
magine , as Count de Pange suggests, that the scene
in Faust, where the two lovers walk in the garden

GOETHE IN ALSACE

179

and Marguerite describes her simple family life, was
inspired by those evenings at Sesenheim. After the
first evening’s walk it is recorded that Goethe made
careful inquiries as to whether the girl was betrothed
or not, and then, on the following day, he started to
return to Strasbourg on horseback in order to obtain
a change of clothes. He came back on the same
evening, for so anxious was he not to lose a minute
of the possible company of the lady who had taken
his somewhat wandering fancies, that he had actually
borrowed some clothes from some innkeeper on the
route, and had thus cut short the longer journey to
Strasbourg and back.

Only one letter has been preserved of the lovers’
correspondence, but later in life, ia the twelfth volume
of Poetry and Truth, Goethe describes his feelings at
this period of his life. Nevertheless in the early stages
of the love affair he remembered the curse pronounced
by the daughter of his dancing-master, and has placed
on record that even when playing games at which
forfeits were demanded he avoided any form of
embrace. But soon his affections were too much for
his resolutions, and he forgot his superstition. After
that they swore eternal love the one to the other,
and in his Memoirs he describes how his presenti-
ments disappeared before “ the radiant apparition of
Frederica

During that summer his affections rose to a climax.
To the English mind some of his outbursts seem
exaggerated and even artificial. The cynic, too, will
observe that when in later life he came to edit his
early writings he carefully altered certain words in
order to avoid giving to the outward world any
appearance of having been too violently in love.

180 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

For example, in one verse he replaces the word “ kiss ”
by the extremely cold word “ regard

There are many documents in existence, however,
that prove to the full how at the time Frederica filled
his life. He took to the village a copy of Goldsmith’s
Vicar of Wakefield, that had recently been published
at Leipzig in a German translation, and read it aloud.
On another occasion he scandalized the father by saying
that the existence of mosquitoes made him doubt the
wisdom and goodness of God. The pastor replied that
these troublesome insects only appeared after the fall
of our first parents, but he could not resist laughing
when Goethe declared that in those circumstances the
mosquitoes would have been quite enough to drive
Adam and Eve out of their terrestrial paradise, without
there being any need of an archangel with a flaming
sword r

The waning of this love affair occurred when
Frederica with her mother and elder sister stayed for
a few weeks at Strasbourg. While she was in her
village with its picturesque environment all was well.
But when she appeared in her peasant costume and
country manners in the rather smart society of Stras-
bourg her shortcomings as a lady of fashion were
only too obvious to Goethe. He cooled off rapidly,
and decided definitely that he would not think of
marriage with Frederica. He recognized for the first
time the difference in the social scale between the
daughter of a village pastor and the heir of an
aristocratic family, the son of a rich burgomaster
of Frankfort. He realized, too, how Frederica's charm
that of rural Alsace, and that she would be unable
to adapt herself to town life. But above all, the lyric
genius that had been awakened by his passion felt

GOETHE IN ALSACE 181

that it could not bear to be imprisoned in a bourgeois
existence.

In spite of this apparent callousness, there are many
signs in his later writings that he felt the parting.
For example, in Olavigo his hero says, no doubt
reproducing the feelings of his creator, “ I cannot throw
aside the feeling that I have abandoned Marie, and
that I have deceived her, call it what you wiU.”

Poor Frederica, her heart was broken when Goethe
departed I She returned to her village and lived on,
but her gaiety and wit were lost, and her health
henceforth was not too good. One of Goethe’s friends,
Lenz, felt a deep S3mipathy for her in her distress,
which turned eventually to love, but Frederica would
have none of his company. Her parents, fearing the
consequence of another poetical love affair, sent her
away to stay with an uncle. In the meantime Goethe
returned to Germany, and when five years later he
came back to Alsace he was engaged to a rich banker’s
daughter.

Frederica, after her parents’ death, left Sesenheim,
and lived for the rest of her life at Rothau. Records
of her work in the parish can still be found in the
parochial registers. She died some two years before
the Battle of Waterloo, and upon her tomb, which is
now a place for pilgrims, are written these lines : —

“ Un rayon du soleil des po6tes tomba sur elle.

Si riche, qu’il lui donna I’immortalit^.’'

Among all the sweethearts of Goethe, surely there
is no other who so awakens our curiosity and sympathy
as Frederica, and many see in her the woman who
inspired the character of Marguerite, who possesses

182 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

the same grace and touching simplicity as his early
love.

Count de Range in his monograph on Goethe
describes how recently he visited Sesenheim one after-
noon and found it still a prosperous village among
the woods, with houses built in typical Alsatian style
and inhabitants who must have changed ve^ little
in the simple rhythm of their rural existence since the
time of Goethe. The house of the Pastor Brion has
been restored, but it is still possible to walk through
the gardens, the old fifteenth-century church, and the
paths that have been immortalized by the poet, and
also to see the oak-tree under which Goethe is supposed
to have sat with Frederica. The local legend is that
they were eating together under this tree a single
apple that she had brought from the orchard. He
told her of the coming separation. She wept, hearing
of this, and her tears watered the ground. The pips
falling from the apple on the moist earth were trodden
under foot, and in time grew into an apple-tree, the
roots of which have now entwined with those of the
oak, as a symbol of the passion which unites those
lovers.

Apart from this village story, we must acknowledge
that Alsace inspired Goethe with the main theme of
Faust. Even the Gothic cathedral where Marguerite
and Mephistopheles meet while the choir chant the
Dies ira is surely the Cathedral of Strasbourg. The
Virgin to whom Marguerite addresses her pathetic
appeal must be the Mater Dolorosa that Goethe must
often have seen inside the cathedral. In fact, a careful
examination of Goethe’s works confirms the ^’iew that
his stay in Strasbourg was the turning-point of his
life. There he learnt how both French and German

GOETHE IN ALSACE

183

culture can best be associated. Strasbourg was in
truth the town where he learnt international tolerance ;
how different nationalities and religions may learn to
understand and appreciate one another ; and how the
culture of the Rhenish towns might well be enriched
by the intellectual outlook and wit of French
civilization.

CHAPTER XVII

SERMONS IN STONES

“ I should like to add to the Litany a new petition : for
all inhabitants of great towns, and especially for all such as
live in any sordid substitute for home which need or foolish-
ness may have contrived/'

George Gissing

A ll those who are concerned with improving the
conditions of British towns and villages, whether
as architects, town-planners, or mere laymen, will
find much to learn in Alsace on these matters. For
in this country, as I have several times emphasized
before, much of what is best in the civilizations of
France and Germany meet. This amalgamation has
many points of interest, and not least in the matter
of the planning of the modem towns.

As the wayfarer steps out of the main station at
Strasbourg, which is not a whit less ugly than King's
Cross, he is refreshed by the sight of the open square
before him and the rows of houses and shops, a
hundred yards away across the open space, arranged
in a graceful curve. The square forms a worthy
background to the receptions at the station of the
Presidents and Edngs who visit one of the most
beautiful smaller cities of Europe.

SERMONS IN STONES 185

Similarly at S^lestai the first impression left on the
traveller, as he moves away from the station into the
town, is the open space planted with trees. The care
with which the railway stations are placed is of course
characteristic of German town-planning, and many of
the German cities owe much to the broad avenues
leading to and from the railway stations.

French architects and others would, however,
indignantly deny that town-planning is distinctively
of German origin, and indeed any student of the
subject knows that the French have taught the modern
world how to transform mediaeval byways into broad
thoroughfares, with vistas skilfully arranged of the
chief buildings and monuments. As long ago as 1790
a plan for Paris was prepared by the architect
Vemiquet, and Napoleon I found tire axis lines of
the planning of the central buildings of Paris already
decided, and prepared the way for later reconstruction
by forming sixty new streets. Haussmann in 1853,
under Napoleon III, conceived a plan of development
which eventually cost nearly fifty million pounds, but
which has certainly proved to be a good investment
to Paris. Since then Paris has improved upon its
plans, and the French Government anticipated Dr.
Addison, of post-war history in this country, by passing
a law before 1914 making it compulsory for every
town in France that has a population exceeding
10,000 to prepare a plan for its improvement and
future extension. A more recent Act provides that
every town or village destroyed by any act of war
must prepare a town plan before rebuilding takes
place.

I am giving these facts because one of the claims
most frequently made by apologists for Germany is

186 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

that at any rate in Alsace and Lorraine they have
shown the world how to plan the towns. It is true
that the book Dev Stadtebau, written by Camillo Sitte,
and published in 1889, led to an abandonment of too
formal plans, and encouraged streets to be laid out
according to the contours ; but we must not imagine
that Germany could have produced her town plans
if it had not been for the influence of France. All
students of this subject should certainly take the
opportunity of visiting Nancy on their way to Stras-
bourg, for there, under the influence of King Stanislas,
whose romantic career I have described earlier, the
Place Stanislas was laid out by Here in 1750, and
even such details as grilles of wrought iron were
skilfully designed in order to link together the angles
of the square. At Nancy the value of open spaces in
setting off fine buildings can be weH studied.

The Germans have, however, performed a service
to the future prosperity of Alsace by zoning some of
the industrial towns, and insisting that industrial
developments and the erection of factories, chimneys,
and warehouses should be confined to one district,
and the residential areas laid out elsewhere. Apart
from town-planning, there is much to interest the lover
of architecture.

It sometimes surprises me to hear from my archi-
tectural friends that they have rushed through Alsace
on their way to Vienna, but have never stopped even
for a few hours to enjoy a most varied selection of
monuments of the past that may be found there.
As to-day teachers in some of the architectural schools
in Great Britain are advising their students not to
overlook the attractions of a land where tliey can
study at leisure cathedrals, churches, castles, museums.

SERMONS IN STONES

187

domestic works both large and small in a small country
where travelling is inexpensive and the cost of living
is not extravagant, I have tried to collect together in
this chapter notes of some of the more important
Alsatian buildings according to their historical interest.
To some of these I have already referred, and in any
case out of such an abundance it is only possible to
describe a few.

The oldest of all the buildings in Alsace is certainly
the mysterious wall or embankment that surrounds
the top of the hill on which the convent of Ste. Odile
stands. The circumference of this pagan wall is about
seven miles, and it is believed that at one time some
of the primitive iiihabitants in Alsace sheltered here
with their tribal gods, their children and their
treasures and their cattle, when they fled from the in-
vasion of the barbarians who swept across the Rhine.

Later, after Caesar defeated Ariovistus, the Pax
Romaina was enforced. Then for a long period until
the middle of the third century there was little fight-
ing, but in spite of this all the larger buildings, the
arenas, baths, and theatres such as survive at Orange,
Arles, and Nimes in Provence, have entirely dis?
appeared in Alsace. Innumerable medals, pots,
bronzes, and mosaics are stored away even in the
smallest museums, and bear witness to the prosperous
times under the Roman Emperors.

After their decline the curtain fell. Archaeologi.sts
can find little trace in Alsace of either the Merovingian
or Carlovingian period of European history. Only at
the end of the eleventh century there began to be
built on the crests of the hills and in the plains the
“baronial castles, the ruins of which are now resorts of
tourist parties. Thtar walls, built of the red-hued

188

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

sandstone of the district, have crumbled away, and
are now covered with moss and grass. The castles
are so many in number that it would be impossible
to enumerate them all here, and indeed they will be
easily found by the wayfarer who travels by car or
even on foot.

On this point I should like to answer a question
that has often been asked me by those who love
architecture and prefer walking to motoring. Already
I have referred to the pilgrimages made by the
bourgeois to the convent of Ste. Odile. In this case a
train can be taken as far as Otrott, changing at
Roesheim. At Otrott you proceed on foot to the
chiteau, an interesting building, and then mount up
to Ste. Odile. Such an excursion takes about five
hours. Or another walk is to the rocks of Davo,
going by train as far as Romanswiller, and then on
foot. The most favourite excursion of all is to the
castle at Haut-Koenigsberg, restored extravagantly
by the Kaiser.

It is, however, possible to walk out from almost
any centre in Alsace and visit on foot architectural
remains of mediaeval castles or churches of varying
periods. One of the most ancient of the castles is
the Ch§.teau de Saint-Ulrich, which occupies a com-
manding position above Ribeauville. The donjon and
one of the facades are almost intact.

A church of about the same period is the church
of Thi^bault, that is usually called the Cathedral of
Thann. This building is in fact a cathedral in
miniature. The spire was completed in the beginning
of the sixteenth century, and like that of the
Cathedral of Strasbourg has a lightness and delica<^’
that prove the skill of the stone craftsmen of that

ClIATIIAT- Hi- ST. ULRICH AROVi: RIJJILVUVILLE

SERMONS IN STONES

189

era. Architects especially admire the happy pro-
portions of the nave and the choir, and regret that
some of the decoration, notably the statues on the
exterior, should have suffered from restoration both at
the time of the Second Empire and later by Germany.

Fortunately this building was spared from being
hit by shells during the war, although the front line
was only comparatively a few hundred yards away.
Some of the houses in the neighbourhood of the
cathedral suffered slightly from the bombardment in
the early days of the war, but later, for various reasons,
the Germans showed towards this cathedral a cpn-
sideration which was markedly absent at Rheims. It
is possible that the German Higher Command were
so obsessed with the hope of recovering this part of
France which they had lost in 1914 that they decided
not to damage more than possible property that might
before long again become part of the German Empire.
In any case in this part of the line there seemed to
be a tacit understanding on both sides that war
should be a comparatively mild affair, and there was
a very marked contrast in the tranquillity and absence
of casualties to the continuous noise and slaughter on
more active parts of the front.

Whatever be the reason for this curious difference,
we can well be thankful that the beautiful Cathedral
of Thann was not damaged. There was indeed only
one important historical monument in Alsace that
suffered during the late war. This is the church of
St. lAgcr at Guebwillcr, one of the towers of which
was struck by a French shell, but the damage has
long since been repaired. This church was built
distinctively in the Teutonic style of architecture and
is richly decorated.

190 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

The most ancient church in Alsace of the Romantic
period is at Ottmarsheim, which lies between the
forest of the Hardt and the Rhine. This belonged
to a Benedictine community, and dates from the
eleventh century. The plan of the church is octagonal,
and is indeed a most careful reproduction of the chapel
of Aix-la-Chapelle.

Another church well worth a visit by those interested
in mediaeval architecture is at Murbach, close to
Guebwiller. The situation in some respects resembles
that of Tintem Abbey in Wales, for the church stands
at the bottom of a narrow valley, overshadowed with
wooded hUls. On the crests of the hills around there
still remain the ruins of the fortresses that were built
by the monks in order to defend their community,
for the abbey was reputed to be one of the richest
in Europe, and therefore was a temptation to the
robber barons, who travelled about seeking whom
they might plunder. The German archaeologists
claim that this church belongs to the Rhine school,
but there are distinct traces of the influence of the
architecture of Cluny.

Another extremely old abbey is at Marmoutier.
The fa 9 ade is somewhat heavy. There axe two
octagonail towers, and the interior of the church is
built in Gothic style, with a choir that possesses
delicate wood carving dating from the eighteenth
century.

I have already spoken elsewhere about the church
of St. Foy at Selestat, which is regarded by many
as being the most beautiful of all existing churches
in Alsace. At the risk of appearing boastful, however,

I fancy that in almost any county in England we
could discover churches that present architectural

SERMONS IN STONES

191

beauties equal, if not superior, to those that are most
praised abroad. It is not our fashion, however, to
blow the trumpet about our own treasures. At the
same time it will be all to the good if we can encour-
age more in the future French lovers of architec-
ture to come to this country, just as we make a
point of standing in rapt admiration in front of such
a cathedral as Chartres or Strasbourg, while we rush
madly past Lincoln without even looking out of the
train when travelling from Grantham to Newark.
St. Foy has its points, but I regret the way the German
restorers have mangled the interior and have tried
to follow the Munich school of colouring in their
restoration.

An amusing controversy has arisen of recent years
as to the origin of Gothic architecture. Goethe once
declared at Strasbourg that Gothic architecture was
German architecture, but such a well-known scholar
as M. Dehys, who was until recently Professor of the
History of Art at Strasbourg, claims that Gothic
architecture was, in fact, bom in the Isle of France,
and from there expanded to the whole of Europe.

There are three notable examples to illustrate his
claims for Gothic architecture. The one is the church
of St. Fiorant at Niederhaslach, a beautiful building
that was atrociously restored in the last century.
St. Martin at Colmar is so famous, and is such a real
work of art, that it certainly must not be missed by
any true lover of architecture. As an example of
M. Dehys’ theory, it is interesting to note that among
the statues is one of tlxe architect, Humbret, who
came from the Isle of France. But the most beautiful
of aU to my mind is the church of St. Pierre and
St. Paul at Wissembourg, that dates from the thirteenth

192 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

century. The cloisters near by with Gothic galleries
dating from the fourteenth century are as beautiful
as some of those in our English cathedrals. Here
again restoration and the use of slates have not
improved an historic building, which owes much of
its present charm to quaint surroundings.

Since the war the French Government, which
recognizes the importance of safeguarding artistic and
historical treasures, has applied to Alsace the law of
1913 for the preservation of historical monuments.
There were curiously enough a number of old buildings
that had been systematically disregarded by the
German authorities because of their French charac-
teristics — a somewhat petty reprisal. Among these
are the Chiteau of Rohan at Strasbourg, the cloisters
of Unterlinden at Colmar, the gateway of Thann at
Cernay, and the fortifications of Rosheim, For-
tunately the German administration had paid special
attention to Strasbourg Cathedral, and the work of
preservation that they began is being continued by
the French, under the direction of the Minister of
Fine Arts.

It is also interesting to recollect that after 1919
an architectural department was instituted at the
University, and a regional school of architecture
created on the lines of those already established at
Lille, Lyons, Rennes, Rouen and Marseilles, that has
set to work to protect and develop architecture and
town-plaiming generally.

Those parts of the battlefields that have exceptional
historical interest are also being preserved, together
with the places where long-range guns were fired, the
one at Zillisheim, that fired on Belfort, and another
at Hampont, that reached as far as Nancy.

1.A IvrAISON PFISTl'K AT COLMAR

AN’ OM) Cot'NTAiN IN lOIAIAK

SERMONS IN STONES

198

Many visitors will regret that the thought now being
devoted to historical monuments could not also be
expended upon the prevention of the blatant adver-
tisements that disfigure some of the beauty spots of
the old towns. The tax on advertisements that brings
in an appreciable revenue to the State has not deterred
those who wish to advertise their wares in a vulgar
manner, and certainly my enjoyment of several old
buildings was diminished by large posters in crude
modernist style boosting motor tyres and cocoa. It
is true that we in England cannot throw stones, since
even in our rural districts hideous advertisements of
whisky and patent medicines disfigure many a vista.
But in this country an amended Advertisements
Regulation Act has, after many years of Parliamentary
difficulties, at last received Royal assent, and local
authorities now will, we hope, use their powers in
order to prevent the callous advertisers from spoiling
fine buildings and beautiful landscapes.

There are many in France who also wish to safe-
guard their land from vandalism, and hope to see
advertisements treated artistically ; but as Tacitus
aptly said nearly two thousand years ago, The
public is not really judge of what is good or bad
and it is no easy task to carry through such measures.
Nevertheless, in a country so rich in historical monu-
ments — ^beautiful and impressive sermons in stone —
on which the French Government is lavishing the care
of some of her most skilled architects, possibly it may
be allowed to an English admirer to express the hope
that the craze for multi-coloixred advertising may not
be allowed to continue unchecked.

CHAPTER XVIII
ALSACE TO-DAY

Quoi que Ton dise ou que Ton fas«?e.

On chaiigera plutdt le coeur de place
Que de changer la vieille Alsace !

Erckmann-Chatrian

T he wa37faxer on his return from Alsace is
invariably asked a number of questions. I
propose to try to answer some of these, although
on matters relating to expenses or the choice of hotels
it is obviously dilficult to lay down any hard and fast
rules.

'' How do we get to Alsace ? " This is the first
question to arise, for the majority of Englishmen
have only a vague idea that Alsace is somewhere in
Central Europe, possibly in the neighbourhood of
Bohemia. There are three main routes to Alsace.
The quickest is to leave Victoria Station, London, in
the afternoon, and travel by Calais and ^letz, arriving
at Strasbourg the following morning.

A somewhat longer journey, but one full of interest
to those who wish to break their journey, is to travel
via Dover to Ostend. A train connects with the boat
service which goes through Brussels, Luxembourg, and
Metz, and arrives at Strasbourg also on the following
morning.

VH

ALSACE TO-DAY

195

The third and more general route is to go to Paris,
via Boulogne, cross from the Gare du Nord to the
Gare de I’Est, and thence to Strasbourg, passing
through Nancy and Saveme,

A special note should be made by anyone intending
to visit Alsace, that during the summer months the
Alsace-Lorraine Railway Company runs, in four stages,
a motor tour known as “ La Route des Vosges.”
This service runs between Strasbourg and Belfort, or
vice versa, passing through some of the prettiest
valleys of Alsace. Leaving Strasbourg, it goes on
through Mutzig, renowned for its vineyards ; past
Obemai, a little village crowned by the Mont Ste.
Odile, from which a panorama of the entire Alsatian
plain can be obtained ; then to Hohwald, situated in
the heart of the forest with its famous Schlittage roads,
and next comes to Sclestat, one of the oldest cities
of Alsace. I have described several of these place.s
earlier in this book.

The second stage, with Colmar for objective, passes
through Haut-Koenigsbourg, with its ca.stle restored
by William 11 ; Ribeauville, delightfully situated in
the Strenbach Valley ; past Aubure through the
Col du Bonhomme to the Lac Blanc and the Lac
Noir. Then the cars go to Kayserberg, a veritable
museum of medueval architecture, and so on to
Colmar.

The third stage goes on to Mulhouse by way of
Turckheim, situated at the ojHJning of the Munster
Valley, past Trois-EpLs, a jjopnlar summer resort
surrounded by forests, the town of Lingc, the Col de
la Schlucht {3,709 feet), the Vosges Ridge (former
boundary betw-een France and Alsace), and the
Hohneck (3,444 feet) ; on to Cemay, partly destroyed

196 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

during the wax, from where the famous Hartmanns-
willerkopf is easily reached.

The journey from Mulhouse to Belfort constitutes
the final stage of the tour. Bn rot 4 e Thann is passed,
charmingly situated and dominated by the ruins of
the Chateau d’Englebourg ; next come Massevaux,
Bussang, a popular resort and well known spa, and
the Ballon d' Alsace (4,043 feet). At Belfort there is
a connection for " Le Route du Jura ” motor service.

Another question that is always asked by those
who admir e the photographs of the scenery or hear
travellers’ tales of economical living is, “ What hotel
do you advise us to stay at during our visit ? ”

It is impossible to recommend hotels without
knowing how much travellers wish to spend and what
standard of comfort they expect. Much also depends
on the rate of exchange. I have stayed twice at the
Maison Rouge in the Place KMber at Strasbourg,
which is first dass, and where sxi & la carte dinner
is served, equal to any that may be obtained in
London or Paris. The price is, of course, heavy as
compared with that of a iable-d’hdte dinner served
in many other good restaurants in Strasbourg, but
extraordinarily cheap when francs can be bouglit at
over a hundred to the pound ! A dinner, for example,
that would certainly cost, with wines, over 30s, in a
good London hotel, can be enjoyed at the Maison Rouge
for less than los. In at least a dozen restaurants in
Strasbourg a good lunch or dinner can be obtained
for 15 francs. A slightly cheaper hotel, but good,
is the Hdtel de la Ville de Paris in the Place Broglie.
For those who are prepared to go to a distinctively

tl R AT -iTRA^IU iI Rii

ALSACE TO-DAY

197

French hostelry, that does not attempt to cater
especially for Americans and English and is therefore
much less expensive, there is the Hotel de France,
and at least half a dozen other reliable places. In
Mulhouse and Colmar there are also hotels of the first
grade, and in the Vosges many that cater especially
for tourists.

In aU the smaller towns there are comfortable inns,
but of course not luxurious hotels. On the whole
I thought these were a good deal cleaner and very
much cheaper than hotels of a similar grade in the
rest of France. In towns like Selestat, Savemc,
Obemai, Barr, and Thann, a dean bedroom can
usually be obtained at the minimum of 8 francs,
and a thoroughly substantial meal for 8 or lo
francs.

Those who are contemplating a tour will be well
advised to consult on all these matters the Office
Fran^ais du Tourisme, at 56 Haymarket, London,
S.W. I, and I personally owe a great debt of
gratitude to M. Maurice Vignon, the distinguished
director, for many kindnesses. This office provides
information on all questions likely to interest those
intending to go to France.

Politicians of course invariably ask the wayfarer
questions as to the comparative happiness of the ixiople
under France or Germany. As I have referred to
this aspect of Alsace many times already, there is no
necessity to repeat the facts. No doubt the reader,
will have noted for himself that although France is
{u-oving to be much more lilieral and generous in
outlook, Alsace owes something to Germany, especially

198 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

the planrimg of the towns, the broad roads, and the
modem sanitation, and an efficient local adminis-
tration.

Even at the risk of giving offence, I must emphasize
the mischief done by the anti-dericals in recent French
administrations who attempted to threaten the influ-
ence of religious organizations. Germany, possibly
for reasons of her own, had encouraged extreme
freedom in religious thought, and M. Herriot, by his
blundering attack on religious education, aroused the
combined opposition of both Catholics and Protestants.
There is good reason to believe that later adminis-
trations in Paris realized to the full that whoever
touches the controversial question of religion in Alsace
arouses a hornet’s nest, for the religious instincts of
the people are intense.

It is sometimes said by the ill-informed that Alsace-
Lorraine is Protestant. Official figures reveal, how-
ever, the fact that about 90 per cent, in the two
provinces attend Catholic services. There is, however,
in every town and almost every village a Protestant
" temple ”, and also in many cases a synagogue.
The Jews number about 40,000, and Jewish politicians
were almost the only members of the Alsatian popu*-
lation that gave any support to M. Herriot.

Travelling in France, and especially in Akace, brings
home the religious revival that has taken place on the
Continent since the war. Undoubtedly the heroism
of priests and Protestant pastors and the Jewish
Rabbis who served with the troops in the trenches
attracted the sympathy of Frenchmen, and so
helped to a religious revival. On one Sunday early
in June at S^lestat I found the cathedral and anotlicr
large church only a hundred yards away crowded to

ALSACE TO-DAY

199

the doors from the first Mass in the early hours of
the morning till Benediction in the evening. At
High Mass at 9 a.m. it was impossible to effect an
entry into the church, for even the porches were
packed with men standing at the open doors. At the
next service at 10.15 a.m. there was not a chair vacant
so far as I could see, and the proportion of men
present was greater than that of women. The
Protestant church was also full. A characteristic of
all churches visited was their extreme cleanliness and
the way free ventilation of air was encouraged.

There is also great religious toleration. In one of
the churches at Strasbourg, Mass is said in the nave
and Protestant services held in one of the aisles. In
many of the schools for many years past there has
been similar toleration. Dr. Pfistcr, the Dean of the
Faculty of Letters in the University of Strasbourg,
told me that he was taught in a .school near Colmar,
where in 1841 both Protestant pastors and Catholic
priests came to give religious teaching.

The profound religious instincts of Alsace are also
evidenced at the University of Stra.sbourg, where the
two faculties of Catholic and Protc-stant theology have
been lately strengthened. I was privileged to meet
a cla.s.s of Catholic students studying Canon Law who
had come from Poland, Greece, Portugal, Bohemia,
and amongst them a monk from Philippopolis.

Business men usually ask whether Alsace is more
prosperous under France than under Germany. In
general it may be replied that there has been a very
miurkcd improvement in the economic position, but
figures as to pre-war commerce arc unreliable. Such

200 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

statistics as are sometimes quoted do not show the
former volume of trade of Alsace alone, for the
Department did not appear as a separate State in
the ofi&cial records of German custom.

It is, however, beyond dispute that the figures
available for individual industries, notably for textiles,
potash, and engineering, show that there has been
a distinct advance and an increased turnover since the
Armistice.

To-day the pre-war output of the textile industry,
for example, has been recovered, and there arc at
work at least 1,900,000 cotton spindles, 38,000 cotton
weaving looms, 700,000 spindles for wool, 151 printing
machines, 28,000 silk spindles, and 6,200 jute spindles.
This re-establishment of the textile industiy is largely
due to the fact that the French have provided new
markets. For example, one spinning mill nosv places
75 per cent, of its total production in France, as
compared with ten years ago, when 90 per cent, was
sent into Germany. The remainder of the present
output goes to Czecho-Slovakia, England, Switzerland
and America. The same is true of the jute trade at
BischwiUer. The English visitor must be struck with
the brains and initiative of the management and the
modem plant installed.

The export of potash is another growing industry,
for at the south end of the narrow valley between
the Vosges and the Rhine are the potaslj mines tliat
were discovered, largely by accident, by a M. Jctseph
Vogt, while he was searching for oil or petrol in tii«
suburbs of Mxilhouse in 1904. He found two beds of
a substance called sylvinife, which is a mi.vture of
chloride of soda and chloride of potash, at a depth
of over 625 metres. These beds were found to be

ALSACE TO-DAY

201

much richer than those of Central Germany, and
therefore without delay mines were developed; but
owing to the fact that there was potash already in
Germany they never reached their full production
until after the Armistice. Scientists estimate that
the Alsatian beds contain more than 300,000,000
tons of pure potash, a quantity sufficient to supply
the whole world with the amount required, at the
present rate of consumption, for 200 years. The
French have supplied more modem technical equip-
ment, with the result that whereas in 1913 the Germans
raised only about 350,000 tons of raw .salts, the French
extracted in 1923 approximately 1,600,000 tons, or
four and a half times as much as the Germans.

In the region of Mulhouse alone there are to-day
seventeen pits that are able to produce 7,000 tons
of potash per day, of which America is one of
the largest consumers. Business men in that district
prophesy a rich future, as estimates show that the
seams cover a hundred square miles of land, stretch-
ing as far away as Thann and Guebwiller.

The chemical industry was originally developed in
order to provide the dyes needed in the te.xtile
industry. The first chemical factory was created in
1808 at Thann, when Alsace was French, but the
industry grew slowly until 1837, when the first railway
line was built from Mulhouse. For nearly a century
'it has been growing in prosperity. Chemical factories
suffered during the war when they were taken over
by the German Government, and were in some cases
used as store-places for German war material. Since
that date, however, they have been reconstructed and
transformed.

In order that there may be rapid transport of the

202 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

various goods produced, and also that electrical power
may be provided cheaply, an ambitious scheme has
recently been approved for building what is known
as the Grand Canal of Alsace. Before 1817 the Rhine
often overflowed its banks and flooded the plain, but
after that date dykes and special banks were built
so as to restrain the river. Engineers have for a long
time been anxious to utilize the flow of the river,
which has a power, at least for seven months in the
year, equal to 900,000 horsepower. In order to
produce a similar power by steam it would be necessary
to spend at the present rate of exchange nearly a
thousand million francs a year. Accordingly, M. Rene
Koechlin, as long ago as 1903, proposed to commercial
men at Mulhouse that this canal should be made,
and the motive power of the Rhine harnessed, but
practically no progress was made, and there is reason
to think that there was official opposition from the
German bureaucrats, and also from German commercial
interests.

The war has, however, completely changed the
situation, for the Treaty of Peace gave France the
exclusive right of taking from the Rhine the water
needed for feeding the canals and also for producing
electricity, subject to the conditions that navigation
was not hampered thereby or taxation increased.
The scheme has therefore at last taken definite form
and has received general approval. A huge electrical
works is to be built at Kembs, where it is estimated
that electrical power equal to 120,000 horwqjower
win be provided during the greater part of the year.
Although it is probable that the scheme will not be
completed in the lifetime of this generation, it is
expected that it will eventually revolutionue industry

ALSACE TO-DAY 203

in that part of Alsace that lies conveniently situated
to the Rhine.

In spite of the many advantages — ^the fertility of
the sod, magnificent railway communications, cheap
power and industrious workmen — ^this frontier country
suffers like the rest of Europe, only in some respects
in a more intensified form, from the heritage of the
war. The uncertainty of the exchanges causes many
a sleepless night to Alsatian business men who have
to buy the raw materials for their manufactures either
in sterling or dollars. Fortunately for them, soon after
the Armistice the French Government performed an
act of generosity which is practically unknown to the
world. Those Alsatians who possessed capital not
invested abroad found that it was vadued in marks,
which of course became of little value after the German
downfall. The French Government agreed to pay for
eveiy mark at the rate of 1.25 francs, and owing
to this generosity many an Alsatian was saved from
ruin. But there were others who had invested in
German War Loan or held stock in German towns,
and who find as a consequence that their life earnings
have considerably diminished. Such persons complain
bitterly of taxation, for Alsace is taxed to-day more
heavily than the remainder of France.

There is .still a good deal of misunderstanding with
Regard to French taxation, which comes under two
headings, direct and indirect. Industrial and com-
mercial profits are taxed at the rate of over 9 per cent. ;
agricultural profits j’% per cent. ; salaries, pensions,
and annuities y2 per cent. ; income from professional
service.? j z per cent. ; income from depo.sits, stocks,
and shares xz per cent., or 14*4 per cent, if the
securities arc foreign; and X2 per cent, on income

204

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

derived from real property. After pajdng on these
six schedules, there is a tax upon the net income that
is payable on an ascending scale amounting to as much
as 6o per cent, on incomes in excess of £ 5,000 a year.
In order to encourage marriage and children, un-
married persons above the age of thirty who have no
dependents are liable for a further 25 per cent, on
this super-tax. There are also death duties, customs
duties, and turnover taxes.

In Alsace, however, there is additional taxation,
owing to the fact that the social services provided
there are much more highly developed than in the
rest of France. There is, for example, an e.xtremely
comprehensive pensions scheme in addition to sickn<‘.‘;.s, ■
accident, and unemplo5nnent benefit. Special a.ssi.st-
ance is given for funeral expenses, and there are all
manner of schemes to assist mothers and their babies.
All these social advantages cost money, and the
Alsatian taxpayer has to foot the bill.

Replying therefore to the general question as to the
welfare of the people under France, which an English-
man looking at the matter from a detached angle
may be able to answer, the more I hear of the
past, the more I am surprised at the multitude of
grave mistakes that the German-s committed. They
acted brusquely and brutally at times, and at (i<‘ er
times thought that material advantages might cURn- .
pensatc for insulting behaviour.

The French are taking care to lie more crmciliatory.
The proposal of the President, M. l.'>oumcrgiK‘, to have
a residence in Strasbourg, referred to elsewhiTo, will
help considerably, for it will cnabh; him iind hk
successors to understand more intimately the outlook
of those who live on this frontier land. I am cotivinced

ALSACE TO-DAY

205

that the Alsatians now know their power, and will
use to the full the rights of free citizenship granted
them by France. They will bring to the Mother-
country an independence of thought and a resolution
of will that may have more influence upon the future
of Europe than is sometimes realized.

I was struck, for example, by the comment made
to me on the growth of Communism at Mulhouse by
a man who is responsible for the direction of several
mills in that city. He observed : “ I find that many
think that the French should have extended the hand
of friendship to Republican Germany in 1919 as the
British did to the Boers after the South African War.
Clemenceau should have encouraged German Repub-
licans as against the Militarists. This would have
done much to have kept down the Junker element.
Personally I would like to see an alliance formed
between France, Great Britain, and Germany, and
should not be surprised if this came about under the
menace of Bolshevism. Even at Mulliouse I know
how Communism is on the increase, and am sure that
we must do our utmost to combat this evil that is
growing in Western Europe."

I do not suggest that the outlook for the future
thus e.xpresscd by a Mulhouse business mtm is typical
of all his fellow-countrymen, but it is of interest in
showing the direction of possible developments.

For the present no outside visitor can talk to all
sorts and conditions of men without returning home
convinced that Alsace is contributing to the life of
France to-day, not only a devoted affection, that is
bound to be all the more enduring because of the
martyrdom since 1870, but also sound practical sense,
with which all classes arc well endowed.

206

A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Any attempt to centralize unduly, or any affront
given to the deep religious sensibilities of the people,
will arouse immediate opposition from an indi-
vidualistic and independent race. The wiser heads
of those responsible for the government of France
appreciate to the full the delicacy of the present
position, and it is largely due to them that since the
Armistice the transfer of Alsace to France has, speaking
generally, been carried out with such tact and under-
standing that the loyalty of the country is being daily
deepened.

INDEX

About, 33

Administration, 127, 165
Adolphus of Nassau, 123
Advertisements, 192
Aeroplanes, 56

Alpine Chasseurs, i, 48, 86,

Alps, 1 15
Altkirch, 150
Apollo, 38
Appell, 7, 45

Architecture, 61, 91, 124, 155,
186, 189, 191
Arles, 187
Armagnacs, X39
Army in 1871, 129
Art, 58, X40
Avignon, 82
Avriccurt, 22

Baines, Sir Frank, 84
Btirges, 57
Barr, 197
Ba^in, RcnC% Hx
Belfort, 5, 196
Bellows, 33
Bcrand, 9a
Bereswinde, 78
Berthelot, General, xa
Bitche, 37
Bolton, X45

Bordeaux, 57
Brumath, 74
Business, 199
Bussang, 196

Ca;sar, 1, 123
Caillaux, M., 159
Camerlynck, M., vi
Canal, 57, 202
Canavy, Lieutenant, 150
Castelnau, X49
Cathedral of Strasbourg, 45
Catholics, 24, 198
Census, 24
Cernay, 149, I 95
Charlemagne, i, 94
Charles the Bold, 139
Charl6ty, Br., 24, 51, 54
Chasseurs Alpins, x, 48, 86,

151

Ch&teau Thierry, ax
Chemical industry, 20 t
C lemonceau, 65
Clock, 46

Colmar, xox, 1x7, 155, 192,

Communism, 205
Conrad IH, 83
Constant, 5

Costumes, 26, X19, 122, 175
Cotton, 5, XX9, X54
m

208 A WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Dachert, M,, 6i
Dannemarie, 150
Deputies, 6, 97
Derby, Lord, xi, 87, 92, 98
Devastation, 27
DoUius, 139, 144
Dominicans, 155
Dor6, 5
Domach, 149
Doumergue, M., 47, 204
Dubail, General, 149
Dunkirk, 57

Edhardt, 84
Education, 166
Electricity, 146, 155
Englebourg, 196
Epemay, 21
Erasmus, 59
Erclonann-Cbatrian, 5
Exhibition of Decorative Art,
140

Falkenhayn, 135
Faust, 182
Fecht, 1 16
Finance, 30
Fine Arts, 192
Food, 26, 196
Football, 97, 167, 153
Forstner, 134

Frankfort, Treaty of, 5, X54
Frazer, Sir James, 169
Freundstcin, 155
Future of Alsace, 171

Geispolsheim, 122
German language, 12, 51
Germany, 132
Goethe, 172, X83
Golf Club, 87

Gosse, Sir Edmund, 33
Gouraud, 48
Greece, 58
Grumwell, 104
Guebwiller, 150, 154, 189
Gunzert, 130
Gymnastic f6te, 47, 169

Haguenau, 35, 120
Hampont, 192
Hanau, 75
Hansi, 120, 130, 134
Hartmann, 118
Hartmannswillerkopf, 150
Haussmann, 185
Haut-Barr, 32
Haut-Koenigsbourg, 82, 195
Haut-Rhin, 28
Havre, 57
Heidenbach, it6
Henri Vn, 123
Herrick, 87
Herriot, 12, 24, 198
Hindenburg, 10, 28
Historical nionumenbi, 35
Hohneck, 118, 195
Hohwald, 195
Hollweg, Bethmaim-, 13O
Home Rule for Alsace, 7, xa
Hotels, 196
Housing, 60, 97, 1 18
Huguenots, 141
Humanist-*, 173

Imperial town, 139
Industrial Revolution. 13H
Inns, 197

Insurance, 143, 167, 204

Jam Bytt, 143
Jardins Ungemac!*, 01

INDEX

209

Jews, 198
Joffre, Marshal, i
Jura, 115
Jute, 200

Kaiser, i, 82
Kaltenbach, 155
Kayserberg, 123, 195
Kellermaiin, 4
Kembs, 202
Kingersheim, 144
Kipling, 169
Klt*ber, 4
Koechlin, 139
Koszul, M., 44, 169

Lac Blanc, 118, 195
Lac Noir, 118, 195
Lac Vert, 118
Lancashire, 119, 138-X44
Lauter, 68
laws, 160

League of Nations, 132
Lefebvrc, 4
Lembach, 75
Lenossos, 123
Lidpvrcttc, 119
Lingo, 195

Lloyd George, 52, 98, 143, 16O
J ocal taxation, 162
I-ocarno, 137
London, 194

Lord Derby, xi, 87, 92, 98
Lorraine, 2, 72, 1x9
Louis Xni, zox
Louis XIV, 114
Louis XV, 2, 70, 89
Lun^ville, 22

Maison Rouge, X97
Marie Antoinette, 49, X76
F

Marne, 21, 150
Marseillaise, 2
Mary, Queen of Scots, 41
Massevaux, 196
Maupassant, 160
Meistratsheim, 122
Metz, 41, 194
Metz^ral, 121
Millerand, 23, 60, 162, 165
Morsbronn, 75

Mulhouse, 133, 138-147, 197,
205

Municipalities, 160
Munster, 41, 116, 117
Murbacli, 155
Museums, 142
Mutzig, 195

Nancy, 41, 186, 192
Napoleon, 4, 50, 142
Naturalization, 25
Niedcrbronn, 35, 75
Nimes, 187

Oberkirch, Baroness, 105
Obernai, 76, 120, 122, 195, 197
Oberseebach, izz
Office Fran9ais du Tourisme,
197

Officials, 25
Orange, 187
Orangerie, 45
Otrott, 188

Painlov6, M., 48

Range, Count de, 33, 172

Paris, X85, 195

Pau, General, 8

Pechclbronn, 73

Pfister, Professor, 77, 94. t99

Pickelstein, 37

210

WAYFARER IN ALSACE

Place Broglie, 197
Poincar6, M., 64
Poland, 69

Port of Strasbourg, 57
Potash, 200

Protestantism, 122, 140, 198
Provence, 187

Railways, 20, 74, 195
Rapp, General, 4
Rapp, Vicar-General, 7
Rates, local, 159
Reichshoffen, 74
Reisling wine, 115
Religious question, 94, 166,
198

Rhine, 127
Ribeauville, 188, 195
Rimington, 96
Riquewihr, 115
Rochdale, 145
Rohan, 175

Rohans, Ch§,leau des, 58
Rosheim, 120
Rouget de Tlsle, 2
Route des Vosges, 195
Rutt6, M., 61

Sabatier, 53

Sainte - Odile, 1-77, 175 ,

187

Salt^mann, 174
Sanitation, 161
Sarrebourg, 35
Saveme, 22-30, 32-42, 177
Schlucht, 195
Schmidt, 9
Schnug, 85
Schools, 166
Scotland, 41

S^estat, 88 onwards, 195

Sesenheim, 178
Silk mills, 154
Sitt 6 , 186

Social ser\dces, 95, 204
Soultzeren, 118
Spender, Dr, Harold, 52
Spinning mills, 119
Sport, 167

St. Marie-aux-Mines, 1 19
Stanilas Leszcynski, 2, 6q
Stichaner, 69
Storks, 55
Stosswihr, 117

Strasbourg, 2, 12, 43, x6i, 173,
184, 192, I95> ^99
Strenbach, 195
Stuart, Charles Edward, 41
Sturm, 50
Switzerland, 139
Sylvinite, 200

Taufifiieb, Senator, 136
Taxation, 59, 203
Teutsch, 6

Textile industry, 119, 200
Thalsbourg, 22
Thann, 148-157, iqb
ThiL‘bault, Church of St.,
1 88

Thiersteins, 83
Timber, 34
Tomlinson, Mr.s,, 170
Town pLinning, 185
TroLs-Hpis, 121, 195
Turckheim, X19, 105
Turcnnc, xoi, 120

Ulrich, St., xSS
Ungcmach, 61

United AsHiciatlons of Great
Britain and Fraticc, xt

INDEX

211

University of Strasbourg,
25, 30, 169, 173. 193
Unwin, Dr. Raymond, 144

Versailles, 137
Vignon, M. Maurice, 197
Voltaire, 117
Vosges, 168

Wardrop, Sir Oliver, vi
Weiller, Lazare, M., v, 87
Westphalia, Treaty of, 83
Wetterle, Abb6, 8

2, Wigan, 138
Wilhelm II, 82
Wilson, President, 25
Wines, 28, 115
Winter sports, 121
Wissembourg, 46, 67
Working class, 142

Ypres, 152

Zabem, 135
Zilleslieim, 192
Zoning, 186
Zom, 32, 71-

PIUNTSO It* GREAT BRITAIJ*
by UMWIS BROTHERS, MMXTEP
PRIMTERS, tOHPOH AHD WOEIMG